Knights In FerroFibrous Armor
by RougeBaron
Summary: This is a compilation of Battletech short stories, started by mine but has been graciously added by other author's contributions lately. CHAPTER 30: Terracap Confederation Civil War as seen from the two opposing sides in the ever-turbulent world of Chaos March...
1. Chapter 1

**Dragon Quest**

A short BattleTech novel by RogueBaron

**Note:** This story was up some time ago, but there are a couple of technical errors. **Triptych** graciously pointed it out to me, so here is the updated version of _Dragon Quest_. This story is dedicated for all Kuritan warriors and enthusiasts who, despite being one of the most elite troops in Inner Sphere, rarely come to spotlight.

BattleTech / MechWarrior and all its components are copyright of _FASA_ and _Wizkids_. All rights reserved.

_**DCMS Headquarters,  
**__**Dieron, Al Na'ir Perfecture,  
**__**Dieron Military District,  
**__**July 19, 3060**_

"Atami-Chu-i, please report to Martinez-Sho-sa! Atami-Chu-i …"

Chu-i Atami yawned in his cot, cussing at the PA that robbed him from his sleep. He didn't have good sleep for days as his unit, Dieron Red Brigade Armor Regiment, had been training for the next deployment at Kiesen, to reinforce the 12th Dieron Regulars against Clan Ghost Bear. His physical training made him tired, but as an armor platoon commander, he had to spend more time in the simulation room, acing tactics and strategies when his subordinates went to rest. He only spent 5 hours a day to rest, and he knew he would spent even less hours in his bed today.

Mumbling incoherently, Atami donned his uniform and dragged his feet toward the office of Sho-sa Martinez, the CO of 2nd Company, Dieron Red Brigade Armor Regiment. On the way to his CO, he walked through the hangar and watched his _Vedette_ tank having a final checkup from the technicians. Atami joined the DCMS 5 years ago, hoping to become a mechwarrior like most teens, but physical test failed him. He was instead transferred to the Red Brigade and assigned to a _Vedette_ tank, a 50-ton tracked vehicle he learnt to love over the 5-year period. He made a good career with his _Vedette_, which earned him the rank of Chu-i and a privilege to command his own platoon.

Arriving at Martinez's office, Atami knocked the door three times. At the sound of Martinez's concession, he entered the room and took the liberty to take a seat in front of the CO.

"Sorry to wake you up, Atami," Martinez said while opening a thick binder. "I know you've been busy preparing for Kiesen deployment, but I have a rush job for you."

"A rush job, Martinez-sama?" Atami asked. "Does that mean I don't get to go to Kiesen?"

"It depends," Martinez replied. "If you can pull this off quickly, you may be able to return to Dieron to go to Kiesen. You'll be exhausted, I know, but on the bright side, you and your platoon will have a chance to fight weaker forces before you face off with the Ghost Bear, a privilege that the rest of the Red Brigade don't have. You'll be the most combat-ready platoon in the entire regiment."

"Where am I going, Martinez-sama?"

"How does Chaos March sound to you?"

"Uh…" Atami cringed. "Mercenary haven… I hate mercenaries. They don't have dignity, fighting for the highest bidder. Who should I face at Chaos March?"

"Worse than mercenary," Martinez smiled. "Or maybe better, depends on your perspective. As you might've read or heard, the Word of Blake had took control of Terra and several worlds in Chaos March, including Caph, a war-torn world with no particular leader. The Blakists haven't been hostile so far, but many feel that these fanatics are preparing something. Their maneuver is obvious that they are inching toward authority of the Inner Sphere.

"Your job is simple: extract an independent scientist from Aswan, a ruined city on Caph. This scientist is working on something that might be useful for us in the battlefield. We can't let the Word of Blake have this invention! You and your platoon are to infiltrate Aswan, abduct the scientist, and bring him to Dieron. The details, including the map of Aswan and the defending forces, are on this binder."

"Aren't there any other unit closer to Caph, Martinez-sama?" Atami asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but my platoon have been training to fight the Ghost Bear. Fighting the Word of Blake will throw away our sync."

"True, but you can regard this mission as a stealth exercise," Martinez resounded. "The premise of stealth mission is the same, no matter whom you're hiding from. And I'd rather have you do it than some other units. I like your dossier, and I know you can pull this off."

"Is there any reinforcement?"

"Negative. Speed and stealth is the utmost importance, and a battlemech unit will draw too much attention. That's why we'll send a small armor unit. The Lindon's Battalion, however, is a mercenary unit with under DCMS contract. You can ask for their assistance, but only if you're in dire need of support. The details are in the binder. The dropship will leave in 20 hours."

"I will not let you down, Martinez-sama," Atami stood up, bowed, then left the room.

**_Outskirt Aswan,  
Caph, Chaos March,  
July 31, 3060 _**

Atami perched on top of his _Vedette_, observing the city of Caph through his binoculars. Smoke billowed up from the tortured city, and occasional explosions boomed in the distance. For almost a decade, Caph had been a contest of power among Denebola SMM (Steiner supporters), Gustafson's Grenadiers (Davion loyalists), and the Always Faithful and Stealthy Tigers mercenary units under Marik/Liao contract. Now that Word of Blake entered the fray, Caph had become more and more of a wasteland. Aswan was no different.

Atami turned back to rally his platoon. On his right was Heishi Shinoyama, his recon expert, with his fast _Skulker_ tank. On his left wing stood Heishi Yamada, his sniper specialist, in his _Chevalier_. Closing the formation at the back was Heishi Kikuchi, his artillery whiz, in his twin-LRM-15 _Hunter_ tank. These guys had been fighting with him for more than 3 years, and he knew he could count of them.

"Alright, armor platoon, listen up," Atami briefed his troops. "We have 48 hours before the dropship pick us up. There's a full-blown war in front of us, but it's not our war. Our job is to get this scientist and pull out. We don't want to attract any attention. Do this quick, so we can go back to Dieron and prepare to face our real enemies, the Ghost Bears! Are you ready?"

A pumped-up chorus answered his query.

"Shinoyama, take point!" Atami ordered, then climbed back into his _Vedette_. He stepped on the pedal, bringing his 50-ton tank rolling behind Shinoyama's _Skulker_. Behind him Yamada brought his _Chevalier_, and Kikuchi closed the formation. The convoy rolled steadily into the city of Aswan. Entering the city, the smell of gunpowder and burning flesh stung their noses. Battlemechs, tanks, helicopters, and infantries from various factions pounded at each other with large-bored guns. Bullets ricochets left and right while lasers and missiles swooshed about. Lucky for the Kuritans, the combatants were too busy fighting each other to notice their presence. The DCMS tanks slipped away from the heat of the battle with only minor damage from stray fires and some infantries that noticed their presence, who Atami took care of with his 50-caliber machine guns.

After 30 minutes driving in the war-torn city, the Red Brigade platoon arrived at a suburb area that hadn't been touched by the war too much. They drove for a while through a residential complex, then parked in front of a small hut. Atami ordered Shinoyama and Yamada to stand by in their tanks, just in case, while he and Kikuchi exited their tanks and came to the hut's door. Atami rapped the door.

"Yes?" an old man came out. "Can I help you?"

"Doctor Haney?" Atami said. "I am Atami-Chu-i, Red Brigade, Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. I am here to take you to Dieron."

"What?" the scientist frowned. "I don't plan to leave this place! Who told you that?"

"I have my order, Haney-sensei, to escort you out of Aswan, away from the Word of Blake."

"No!" the old man yelled. "I know what you're up to! You're into my work! You want to dominate the battlefield with my invention! It is because of guys like you the universe is what it is now! I will not let you abuse my invention! Good day, gentlemen! And don't come back, you're not welcomed!"

"Please cooperate, Haney-sensei," Armus tried to persuade the scientist. "I mean you no harm. We come in peace. But I have my order, and I will do anything to ensure that it's accomplished."

"Is that a threat?" Doctor Haney went off. "Are you threatening me, you Kuritan bastard? Well I'm not afraid of you, nor I will go anywhere! Now shove all your righteous act up yourself! Good day!"

The scientist turned back to get into his house. Atami cued Kikuchi, who then grabbed the old man's shoulder. The scientist jerked behind, and Kikuchi launched his straight punch, right into his face. A loud thud broke, and the scientist sloshed to the ground. A dark hue mushroomed under his eyes.

"Get him on my tank!" Atami ordered while climbing his tank. Kikuchi hoisted the unconscious scientist onto his shoulder and put him into the _Vedette_. Atami duck-taped him into a chair, then went back to his command seat. "That's it, people. Let's get out of here."

"Atami-Chu-i, I pick up multiple inbounds coming this way," Shinoyama stated. "Half a company of _Longinus_ battlearmor!"

"_Shimatta!_ _Longinus_…" Atami knew what it meant. "Alright, everybody go weapons hot! The Blakists are coming our way, and I'm sure they don't come in peace!"

"Attention Kuritan intruders," a general transmission sprang on the comlink. "This is Precentor Herman Saweeny, Word of Blake army. The scientist is under the protection of Word of Blake reformation program. Hand me the scientist and I'll grant you a peaceful withdrawal."

"This is Atami Chu-i, DCMS," Atami replied, preparing his autocannon with incendiary ammunition. "I have my order to take Haney-sensei out of Caph. I mean you no harm, but if you don't grant a pathway for us to go off-planet, we will attack."

"This is your last warning, Kuritan gooks! By the name of Blake, I swear I'll crush your tin cans into scrap if you don't hand me the scientist! Do it now or you'll suffer the consequences!"

"_Jinkokuniike_, fanatics!" Atami yelled. "Red Brigade, fire at will!"

The nozzle belched fire as Atami fired his high-explosive round at the _Longinus_ battlearmors. Mushroom-like explosion blasted, flushing four _Longinus_ in a fire hail. Kikuchi and Yamada spread their missiles over a wide area, killing half a dozen more battlearmors in a chain explosion. Chunks of armor and body parts flew in every direction.

"Kuritan scumbags!" Saweeny exploded in wrath. "Word of Blake, mujaheed!"

Ten _Longinus_ leapt into the sky and fired their SRM at their closest target, Shinoyama's _Skulker_. The scout tank staggered and quaked as the warheads gouged its armor, dangerously threatened the internal structure. Shinoyama brought his tank to turn, firing his medium laser wildly, but more and more _Longinus_ scored good hits at his tank. Chunks of armor flew in every direction, and within seconds, the _Skulker_ caught fire.

"Shinoyama, pull back!" Atami noticed his scoutmaster was in trouble. "I'll deal with them!"

"I am fine, Chu-i," Shinoyama refused to comply. "I will not give the Blakists the satisfaction by retreating! If I go down, I will take as many of them with me!"

Atami knew that ordering Shinoyama to retreat to safe his life would only insult him. Their _Bushido_ training dictated them to fight until the last drop of blood, and retreating was an act of cowardice. Atami gunned his engine and ordered, "Yamada! Kikuchi! Move forward and assist Shinoyama!"

Kikuchi and Yamada fired more missiles, which whizzed in the air and exploded at the _Longinus_ ranks, sweeping more battlearmors. But Saweeny orchestrated his battlearmor squads to attack only Shinoyama's dying _Skulker_. Four of six of its tires were flaming, and the tank spurted oil and coolant like a bleeding beast. Shinoyama made his last fight, grilling a _Longinus_ with his medium laser, before a quartet of missiles slammed into his power generator. A loud explosion ripped half of the _Skulker_ apart, and Shinoyama jumped out seconds before the rest of his tank engulfed in a bonfire.

"Shinoyama! Get in my tank!" Yamada halted his tank near the crash.

As Shinoyama climbed into the _Chevalier_, Kikuchi covered him with his twin LRM-15 missiles. The missiles exploded on the ground, creating a wall of fire that halted the advance of the _Longinus_. Knowing that the _Hunter_ tank posed the greatest threat, Saweeny dove for the missile tank with a dozen battlearmors on his tail. Lacking closed-ranged gun, Kikuchi tried to escape, but two missiles breached his right track, rendering his _Hunter_ immobilized.

"Yamada, cover fire for Kikuchi!" Atami ordered and brought his autocannon to bear. Two _Longinus_ went down in flames. Some _Longinus_ were distracted and started to fire at the _Vedette_, but Atami blasted his gun as soon as it recycled, creating a fiery explosion that burnt three _Longinus_. Yamada came with his SRMs, mutilating five more Blakist battlearmors.

Losing more and more battlearmors in an alarming rate, Saweeny pulled out his troops. "This is not over, Kuritans! You can keep the scientist today, but you'll never get off planet with him! This I swear, and the ghost of Jerome Blake is my witness!"

Atami himself was relieved that the _Longinus_ withdrew. His tank was riddled with bullets and missiles, and his armor tracker was blinking red. Yamada's _Chevalier's_ was no better, with sparks and smoke spurting from all around its hull. Kikuchi's _Hunter_ was still pristine, but without the replacement for the breached track, Atami knew that he had to leave the missile tank behind. "Kikuchi, self-destruct your _Hunter_ and ride with me! We need to get out of here before the Blakist come with reinforcement!"

"Hai, Chu-i!" Kikuchi replied with a slight hesitation. He loved his _Hunter_, as much as Atami loved his _Vedette_. But he knew that it was unsalvageable, and destroying it was the only way to keep them alive and their mission accomplished.

As the _Hunter_ exploded, Atami and Yamada drove their mangled tanks into the suburb area of Aswan to plan their next move.

_**Aswan suburb area,  
**__**Caph, Chaos March,  
**__**August 1, 3060**_

Atami crouched behind his tank, scanning the bottom of his _Vedette_. Oil and coolant dripped from several cracks in the hull, and Atami knew his tank wouldn't survive Caph. He just hoped that it would survive at least to get them safely to the dropship. The _Vedette_ had been fighting with him for 5 years, and Atami had a feeling that it was the last time he fought with it.

"How bad is it?" Kikuchi stood beside him, watching the stream of fluid streaked from the tank.

"Bad," Atami sighed. "It won't survive Caph, I'm sure of it. I hope it can at least take us to the dropship safely to complete our mission. How's our guest?"

"He refuses to eat but he's taking water," Kikuchi informed him. "I think he can survive another 24 hours without food, if that's what he chooses."

"We've got less than 20 hours until our dropship come," Atami glanced at his watch. "It's not his pig-headedness that I'm worried about. I'm afraid my tank can't survive 20 hours against the Word of Blake."

"About the scientist, Chu-i," Kikuchi asked in agitation. "What's he doing that deserves him this attention? Did he invent some kind of super weapon? More powerful than nukes?"

"It's not ours to fret, Kikuchi-san," Atami said while averting his eyes. "We're just soldiers. We do what we're told to do. If you start asking questions about your mission, you're second-guessing your own judgment. We're trained in _Bushido_, Kikuchi-san, and asking questions is not a part of it."

"Hai, Chu-i," Kikuchi bowed in respect.

By that time, Shinoyama and Yamada arrived in the _Chevalier_ from scouting the area. By the looks on their fatigue faces when they dismounted the tank, Atami could tell that the situation had become worse than he could've imagine.

"The Blakists barricade our exits, Chu-i," Shinoyama reported. "They placed two companies of _Longinus_, plus an additional lance of _Initiate _battlemechs. We can't possibly break the _Longinus_ with only 2 tanks, let alone a medium-mech lance."

"The leader of the _Longinus_ unit we fought yesterday, Precentor Saweeny, had issue a martial law on Aswan," Yamada asked. "They will kill Aswan citizens unless we hand in the scientist."

"Saweeny, _saite-dana_!" Atami hissed in disgust. It was not enough that he had to take care of 4 people's lives, and his own, along with the success with his mission. Now the citizens of Aswan lied in his hand too. Atami leaned on his tank, thinking of the best course of action he could do. He knew that his mission was a priority, but he couldn't let the Blakists butcher Aswan's citizen. Suddenly he remembered that he had one more ace up his sleeve.

"Wait here," Atami ordered his men then went into his _Vedette_. He flipped his binder open and looked for some frequency channel, then dialed it in his comlink. A burst of static flooded his receiver, followed by a faint woman's voice. Atami connected his mike to the comlink and said, "This is Chu-i Atami, Dieron Red Brigade, DCMS. I wish to speak to Colonel Sarah Lindon, please."

"This is Sarah," a firm voice now sprung on the comlink. "What can I do for you, Chu-i?"

"I am on a mission, and we need to catch a flight to get off Caph by 1300 hours tomorrow. But the Blakists are blocking our exits and will start killing civilians to prevent us from completing our mission. Is there something you can do to distract the Blakists, Colonel?"

"You can expect that from those Blakist animals, can't you Chu-i?" she jested. "Anyway, I have two lances of mechs stationed near Aswan. I can order them to attack the Blakist strongholds, just enough to draw their attention. You'll have to fight your way by yourself. Is that fair, Chu-i?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"Good! I need a complete reconnoiter on their positions, and your pick-up site. Every little detail will help me create an effective diversionary attack, which ultimately will help you too. I hope my two lances can destroy enough Blakists to spoil their massacre plan."

"_Domo-arigato-gozaimashita!_" Atami said exuberantly.

"Hey, don't thank me. Thank Hohiro for putting me on Caph. This is not a free service, by the way. I will bill your boss later. But I'm always glad to help my contractors! Lindon out!"

Atami turned off his comlink, a smile of satisfaction sprung on his lips. He always despised mercenaries, but today, he was glad that he knew one. It changed his perspective toward them. Getting out of his _Vedette_, he went back to his platoon who was waiting anxiously.

"The Lindon Battalion will help us create a hole in the Blakist barricades," Atami briefed his troops. "I want all of you to ride on the _Chevalier_, including the scientist. I don't think my tank will make it to the pick-up site. Whatever happens tomorrow, don't wait for me. Your order is to bring Haney-sensei alive to the dropship, and do what it takes to keep him alive until Dieron. This might be my last order for you, so do it with all your heart."

"Hai, Chu-i!" Shinoyama, Yamada, and Kikuchi replied in unison.

"Alright, get some rest."

_**Aswan suburb,  
**__**Caph, Chaos March,  
**__**August 2, 3060**_

The city of Aswan went alive with fire as Lindon's Battalion marched into the city, and went head-to-head with the Word of Blake. Two lances of Lindon's _Striders_ traded fires with four _Initiates_ and two-dozen _Longinus_ battlearmors from the Word of Blake. Flashes of lasers, ballistics, missiles, and explosions painted the city like a firework gala on an independence day. The explosion sound echoed throughout the maimed city, and the smell of gunpowder was imminent long before the city came into view.

Atami, Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada observed the downtown from the suburb, watching the enraging battle from the distance. It was two hours before pick up, and they had to go across the blazing Aswan downtown to get into the pick up site.

"This is it," Atami said. "Go flank speed to the pick up site. Do not stop for anything, including me. I want you to know that it's been a privilege to serve House Kurita with you."

"The honor is ours, Chu-i," Yamada replied, followed by approving nods from the others.

"Alright then, let's get it done," Atami jumped into his _Vedette_. He checked the oil gauges, wincing upon noticing that his tank was almost running dry. He pushed the throttle forward, and hoped that his tank would go as close to the pick up site as possible. Atami was ready to die. As his _Bushido_ training dictated, dying for the Kanrei in battle was the highest honor a warrior could ever achieve.

Atami drove his _Vedette_ through debris-marred streets of Aswan, with Yamada's _Chevalier_ on his back. Infantries monopolized the streets, shouting and shooting at anything that moved. It was almost impossible to see whether they were Lindon's, Gustafson's, Denebola's, or Blake's. Their insignia and uniforms were smeared by soot and oil. Atami blazed his machine gun, driving the infantries away from the tanks and preventing them from taking pot shots at him. Bullets ricocheted along the hull of his _Vedette_. Sometimes missiles from shoulder-mounted SRM whizzed just a mere centimeter above the turret, but lucky for him, none of them hit his tank or the _Chevalier_.

Downtown was where the mech action took place. Explosions roared one after another, and visibility was extremely low because of the smoke. Tongues of fire licked from burning buildings, destroyed mechs, and mauled tanks. Dead bodies littered the ground. Atami maneuvered through the debris on the street, and took a detour when an intense mech fight took place in front of him. The mechs were too busy fighting each other, no one paid attention to the two small tanks tiptoeing on the ground.

The Kuritans had passed the downtown and on the verge of leaving Aswan when a dozen _Longinus_ battlearmors blocked their way. Atami knew who the leader was. He could feel the heat sprouting from the eyes of the _Longinus_ leader when he zoomed in to the battlearmor.

"So, Kuritan gooks, you decided to be reasonable," Saweeny's voice boomed. "Give me the scientist, and you're free to go."

"I don't trust you, Blakist! First, let the _Chevalier_ go," Atami said. "When it reaches a safe distance from Aswan, you'll have your scientist."

"Don't contest my patience, Kuritan!" Saweeny yelled. "Give me the scientist now!"

"It's clear to me that you're not a man of his word," Atami clutched his joysticks. "You want the scientist? Then come and get him yourself with honor! In the name of Theodore Kurita, I challenge you!"

"Fine!" Saweeny dashed forward and charged Atami. "Stupid gook, you'll die eating my laser!"

"Yamada, Saweeny doesn't know that I don't have the scientist!" Atami changed to private frequency. "Get out of here and go to the pick up site before he realizes it!"

Yamada swung his _Chevalier_ to his left, leaving Atami facing the _Longinus_ horde alone. Atami fired all guns in unison. Tangerine fireball blossomed from the ground, wiping out one-third of the _Longinus_. Saweeny leapt into the sky and fired his laser, melting half a ton of armor on the _Vedette_. Atami squeezed the trigger for his machine gun, spreading a hail of bullets to a wide area. They were not powerful enough to dig into the _Longinus's_ armor plating, but they were annoying enough that the Blakist battlearmors had to crisscross their path to dodge the bullet. Two _Longinus_ sacked a good salvo into the thread, stopping the _Vedette_ in his path.

Atami knew his life was numbered in seconds, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. He fired his main gun one more time. Two _Longinus_ engulfed in flames. Saweeny retaliated with his twin SRMs straight into the hull. The explosion swept away the last remaining armor and cracked the internal structure. The _Vedette_ caught fire. Atami gritted his teeth and fired his autocannon at Saweeny, but the Blakist leader ducked, letting the high-explosive round wheezed above his head and slammed into a building. He fired his laser at the immobilized tank, torching the coolant system. Atami's tank turned into a bonfire. Atami took one last defiant blast, killing two more _Longinus_, before the heat forced him to exit his tank. The fire spread to the power generator, and the _Vedette_ exploded.

Outside, two _Longinus_ snatched Atami from the ground, and brought him to the leader. Saweeny ordered his men to search the remains of the _Vedette_, then scanned Atami from head to toe. He cocked his hand and launched his mighty hook at Atami's jaw. Atami's head jerked behind, and he felt blood spurting into his throat, along with unbearable pain in his jaw. But he fought the pain and shot a defiant stare at the _Longinus_. Saweeny fired up his upper cut into Atami's side, breaking two ribs at once. Atami choked, his breath came in short gasps, but again, refused to give Saweeny the satisfaction. He rose up, staring at the depth of Saweeny's eyes.

"Precentor," one _Longinus_ reported. "We searched the remains of the _Vedette_. We can't find the remains of the scientist. I think he's been lying the whole time. He's in the other tank!"

Saweeny clutched his hands in wrath, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The _Chevalier_ had reached a save distance, and there was no way his _Longinus_ could catch up with it. He was outsmarted by Atami. Overwhelmed by shame and rage, he drew his laser and aimed it at Atami's head. "Die, you worthless slime! Die in dishonor!"

But Atami knew it wasn't true. He knew that Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada were on their way to the dropship, along with the coveted scientist. He accomplished his mission, no matter what would happen to him. Mustering every bit of energy he had left to pose a mocking smile, Atami whispered in his wheezing breath, "It doesn't matter anymore. My mission is complete. You lose… _bakayaro!_"

Saweeny triggered his laser.

_**DCMS Headquarters,  
**__**Dieron, Al Na'ir Perfecture,  
**__**Dieron Military District,  
**__**August 21, 3060**_

"Chu-i Atami is a very brave warrior," Sho-sa Martinez stated while debriefing Kikuchi, Shinoyama, and Yamada. "He set the example of how a Draconis Combine soldier must act in the battlefield. He put his mission, and the lives of his subordinates, in a higher priority than his own safety. It's hard to find a warrior his quality. I'm sad that he did not make it. The Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery will miss him dearly."

"We are honor to fight alongside with him, Martinez-Sho-sa," Shinoyama replied.

"His struggle will be our memento on how we should fight the Ghost Bear," Yamada added.

"Very good," Martinez concluded his debriefing. "The first dropship to Kiesen will depart in 36 hours. Get your gears ready and check with Sho-sa Anderson for your departing time. You're dismissed."

**THE END **

**FOR NOW**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Fame Too Far**

A short BattleTech novel by RogueBaron

**_Note: _**This is my second attempt at writing Solaris-style story. Some of **MW4:Mercs** Solaris aces make cameos in this story, but bear in mind that this story takes place in 3055, so their mechs are very much different than what they used in **MW4:Mercs**.

BattleTech / MechWarrior and all its components are copyright of _FASA_ and _Wizkids_. All rights reserved.

_**Black Pit Combat Arena,  
**__**Outskirt of Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**April 9, 3055**_

Mechwarrior Kangpae climbed up his WSP-3M _Wasp_ in anxiety. His failure in the last match on this 'blood pit' still haunted him. Six meters above the ground, he dragged his skinny body into the small cockpit and sat uncomfortably. A familiar looking panels spread in front of him. The same cockpit that blew up last time, sending him flying some 30 meters above the ground and descending with a parachute. He remembered everybody laughed and booed at him as he reentered the garage on foot.

He powered up his mech, inspected every part of it. The mech was in nominal condition, though he could feel some unbalanced load in the refurbished engine. He opened up the comlink, and a much too familiar voice scrambled the cockpit, "OK Kangpae, are you ready?"

"Yeah, Sir! I am ready as hell!"

"Don't get to cocky or you'll end up eating dirt as two days ago!" his stable master croaked.

"I'll make sure that won't happen again!"

"Alright! An _Urbanmech_ is waiting for you behind building number 2. It's only a 'tractor', Kangpae. It has only 10 rounds of autocannon. Stay alive during its onslaught and you'll be fine!"

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind!"

Kangpae brought his _Wasp_ to the door and gave the techs his thumb. The gate opened up, exposing his mech to the roaring arena. Kangpae pressed his feet on the pedal, and the light mech jumped forward, started running towards the small buildings on the center. He scanned the arena, a red dot appeared on his radar. It was an old-tech, ridiculously slow UM-60R _Urbanmech_. But it sported an Autocannon-10, and although only held 10 rounds of fire, it was enough to rip his mech apart. Just like the last time. And it was jump-capable.

Kangpae swung to right a little bit with full speed. The _Urbanmech_ knew his presence, tilted its torso and walked out of the building. Kangpae twisted his torso towards the mech, slowed down a little bit, and readied his guns. As soon as the _Urbanmech_ sprung out of the building, he showered it with a quick barrage of laser. A maroon stream of laser darted the much slower mech, melting armor on the torso. The _Urbanmech_ retaliated by firing two rounds of depleted uranium shells. One was widely off his side, but one almost caught his leg. Shrapnel of soils blasted through the air as the shell exploded in the ground. Kangpae checked his heat track, his mech was starting to get hot. His cooling vest was totally soaked with his sweat. He swiped his dank face with his palm, then went back to his console. His focus was how to bring this slow mech down.

The _Urbanmech_ used its jet to fly backward, hiding behind a building. Kangpae swung hard to the left, pressed the trigger and let loose his missiles. One missile slammed into the _Urbanmech's_ leg while it was still on the air. The spectators roared as Kangpae almost jumped up of his seat, realizing that he got the upper hand. But the slow mech descended from the sky, taking cover behind the first building. Kangpae growled in disappointment, sweat ran down his cheek like creeks. He slowed down his mech, circling the buildings slowly. The _Urbanmech_ was waiting for him to spring up from the building, and was ready to blast him as soon as it got a good lock.

Kangpae could read that strategy, so he opted to turn left, got behind another building and waited. The _Urbanmech_ pivoted, then went to the other direction. Kangpae waited for some moment, then blasted his jets. His _Wasp_ jumped to the front, capturing the _Urbanmech_ in a total shock. He pressed the trigger and a blend of laser and missiles streaked through the air, ripping the _Urbanmech's_ torso open. Bubbling armor dripped to the ground like blood, and the internal structure was set on fire. The _Urbanmech_ tried vainly to get a lock on him, but the _Wasp_ is just too quick for it.

"YESSS! YESSS!" Kangpae screamed from the top of his lung. Several more blasts would definitely put and end to the blazing _Urbanmech_. He was overwhelmed by confidence. He swung hard to the right, got behind a building, pivoted 180 degree, sprung forward and blasted the last position of the _Urbanmech_ with laser and missile. Heat became dangerously high, but he didn't care. But then he realized that the _Urbanmech_ was not there. His brutal attack only created holes on the building. He quickly scanned the area, and caught the _Urbanmech _on the top of the building, pointing the autocannon at him. The next thing he remembered was a series of rocking explosions around his mech, then he was thrown out by jets on his seat. He descended from the sky in parachutes, looking at the burning hulk of what remains from his mech. He could only sigh and smack his helmet in regret. Clearing the seat, he started the long walk to the mech bay in an echoing mock.

His stable master gave him a disappointed look as Kangpae enters the mech bay. "I told you not to be to cocky! You are in the brink of victory, for Kerensky's sake! And that _Wasp's_ gonna need 300,000 cbills to refurbish! Combined with the matching fee, you cost us almost a million in the last three weeks! I think I've done enough with you…"

"No, no, no, please Sir," Kangpae pleaded like a child. "One more match, and I promise I'll bring some money in!"

"That's what you told me last week!" the stable master grumbled. "You know what, Kangpae? Maybe you're better off being a real soldier. There's war all over Clan border, and you can join one of the factions easily. Some snippets I heard in the bar mentioned about copious payment."

"Please Sir, Solaris is where I belong," Kangpae whined. "This time I mean it, Sir! I won't fail you again!"

The manager stared at the stout mechwarrior, examining him meticulously from head to toe. "Alright, get back here in three days. I'll figure out something."

"My God, thank you, Sir!" Kangpae kissed the back of his hand, then walked outside the room.

_**  
Thor's Shieldhall Tavern,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII  
**__**April 10, 3055**_

The tavern was at its usual self, crowded with mechwarriors bragging their brilliant tactics and "pinball machines", while hopefuls and losers sat quietly, listening spitefully to the story. The fact that the braggarts hung out in Thor's Shieldhall and not Valhalla Club was a proof of their mediocrity, but they talked as if they belonged to the elites. Of course, only bartenders and waitresses listened to them and fibbed interest, because these kinds of mechwarriors were good tippers.

Kangpae was among the spiteful losers. He sat alone in the corner drinking gin, hoping to flush the memory of his last battle with alcohol. He was a Solaris native, born and raised with one goal in mind: to be a Solaris grand champion. But since he became a professional mechathlete 5 years ago, he was stuck in "blood pits". He didn't seem to be able to reach his dreams. He was actually a good fighter and he won some respectable fights. But he tended to be overconfident, and with every win came a crushing loss that dropped him back to where he was just before his victory.

"Hi sweetie!" one of the waitress greeted him. "Yumi told me you're here. I saw your fight at the Black Pit. I'm sorry it didn't work out. But we all cheered for you."

"I got so close to winning," Kangpae ranted. "That _Urbanmech_ was a damn knievel. If he didn't use dishonorable tactic, I would've won 10,000 c-bills as bonus. Instead, my _Wasp_ needed 300,000 c-bills."

"Don't worry, you'll get there someday," Emi smiled. "Hey listen, my shift is almost over. Just wait here for an hour, then we can go home together. I can give you a special treatment you like so much, so you can get over the fight. How's that sound?"

Kangpae looked at his girlfriend Emi. He felt lucky to have her on his side. Emi always believed in him. He didn't know how he could get a sweet, kind-hearted girl like her, despite his insanely bad luck in Solaris arenas. As a waitress, she was hit by countless mechwarriors, some had better luck and more money than Kangpae. Emi's co-workers encouraged her to forget Kangpae and just picked one of the mechwarriors. But she stuck with him.

"Sounds great!" Kangpae smiled. "I'll be here."

**_Solaris Terrace Apartment,  
Dark Hill, Solaris VII,  
April 23, 3055 _**

BEEP… BEEP

The annoying sound of the comlink finally awakened Kangpae. He glanced at the clock, which still showed 3:15 in the morning. He cursed and put the pillow on his face, trying to muffle the sound, but it was too loud. Lazily he got up from his bed and walked to grab the phone. He pressed the receive button and spoke rather curtly, "Kangpae here. What do you want?"

"Kangpae, I have good news for you," his stable master croaked. "One of the medium-weight quarter-finalists, Gus Polliard, was injured in his last fight. The fight is tomorrow, and they're looking for a "seat-filler". I put in your name, and they picked you to substitute Polliard."

"What? What? Seriously?" Kangpae could not believe what he just heard. "A 'seat-filler' job in medium-weight quarterfinal? You kidding me, right?"

"You wanna argue with me?" the stable master yelled. "It's early in the morning, Kangpae! If you don't want this job, I'll give it to somebody else!"

"No, no, I'll do it!" Kangpae quickly said. "What do I need to do?"

"I just bought a medium mech from a junkyard. It's not pretty, but it can do serious damage if you play it right. So come down here and we'll talk about the specs. Then you can start practicing."

"I'll be right there! Thank you so much!" Kangpae turned off the comlink and jumped to bed, shaking Emi who was still asleep. "Emi! Get up! I get to be in the medium-weight quarterfinal! One of the aces is injured, so they picked me! I'm gonna be in Marik Tower in Montenegro!"

"What?" Emi replied. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Why not?" Kangpae put on his clothes. "This is my big break! I've been dreaming of this moment since I was little! If I win this and the semifinal, I'll be fighting the best of the best in medium circuit! I'll be in the Colliseum!"

"I'm not trying to hold you back, but maybe you need to slow down a little," Emi said. "You haven't fought in the medium class. You have to practice a lot. I'm worried about you."

"One day is enough," Kangpae put on his shoes. "This is it, I can feel it! Watch me on the TV tomorrow. I promise you I'll give you the best fight I've ever fought!"

"But Kangpae," Emi tried to protest.

"Wish me luck!" Kangpae cut her off and kissed her cheek before running out of the apartment.

_**  
Dark Horse Stable,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**April 23, 3055**_

Kangpae stood in front of the mech his stable master just bought from a junkyard. It was an unconventional mech, with bulky torso, fat arms, and big feet. A big cannon nested at each arm, and a 5-pack missile launcher sat at its left torso. Kangpae had never seen such a mech before. It was in a rather bad condition, but it looked like it could do some serious damage.

"This is an OD-209E _Outbound_," his stable master explained. "It's a 55-ton custom mech based on a _Hoplite_. It is created just to compete in Solaris arena. It has 2 ultra-autocannon 5 and one LRM5, enough to shred most armor in the medium class in seconds. Ten tons of armor will protect you long enough to return fire and destroy your enemy. You don't have to worry about heat, and mostly you don't have to worry about ammunition because the fight will be over before you run out of ammo. However, the _Outbound_ is a slow coach. It runs only 64 kph, slow for a medium mech. So you have to change your fighting style."

"I'll figure it out," Kangpae replied. "Once again, thank you for staying with me. I swear you will not be disappointed."

"Don't let me down Kangpae," the stable master said, then turned on the simulator. "The tech had calibrated the simulator with the data from the _Outbound_. You have only 1 day, Kangpae. Do this right!"

"Yes Sir!" Kangpae nodded enthusiastically, then hoped into the simulator.

_**  
Marik Tower, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**April 24, 3055**_

The spectator at the factory arena, and Kangpae straps himself on the seat. The _Outbound_ made a coughing whirring sound as it started up. He could feel a slight imbalance on the mech's gait as it walked through the gate, but he ignored it. It was the biggest machine he ever piloted in the biggest game he ever played.

"How are you feeling today?" his stable master spoke through the microphone.  
"I am ready, Sir!"

"Remember, you're in the same game with Alex Haight, Crunch Taylor, Aida O'Henry and Anita Muscatelli. Aida is a 'hitwoman'. Stay away from her crosshair. Use the terrain to hide, then return fire when she recycles. Do the circle of death. The same goes with anybody else."

"I'll remember it," Kangpae replied.

Kangpae waited on a corner of the huge factory arena until the klaxon blarred, sounding the start of the quarterfinal. He was inside the arena as the lowest underdog, along with 4 aces. He pushed the throttle and the _Outbound_ started to run toward the center.

A minute later, a _Crab _came from his right flank. Kangpae swung to his right and fired a missile salvo to the charging _Crab_. His attack went wide. The _Crab_ returned fire, sending multiple barrages of laser to the _Outbound_. One large laser hit him on the right torso, melting a ton of armor. The _Outbound_ swayed to cope with the loss of balance, but Kangpae pressed his joysticks hard to the left. His mech swerved on the tip of its feet then twisted right. He was thrown to the left, his head hit the canopy.

"Damn!" he cursed as he fired his twin UAC5, but only three rounds connected to the center torso of the _Crab_. Suddenly a green _Wolverine_ burst from behind a rubble pile and fired its entire arsenal at the _Crab_. Three laser streams struck the _Crab_ in the crotch, melting armor and burning some myomer bundles. It staggered, then swung right and tottered behind a concrete panel. Kangpae slowed down a little and veered to the left to face the _Wolverine_, but it ignored him and continued its onslaught on the _Crab_.

Kangpae didn't know why the pilot, Crunch Taylor, didn't pay attention to him. Maybe Taylor thought that Kangpae couldn't possibly hurt him, being a mediocre mechwarrior who had never fought in a medium class. Kangpae saw an opportunity to score big, so he followed the _Wolverine_ as it pounded the _Crab_. The two exchanged fire, but in the end, the _Crab_ overheated. As it shut down, Crunch Taylor hit his alpha strike, assaulting the hapless _Crab_ like a punching bag. Hot molten armor sprayed like sweat and blood. The chest was ripped open, the engine was exposed to air. Black smoke billowed from its back, and one missile salvo from the _Wolverine_ destroyed its engine. With a blinding explosion the _Crab_ disintegrated.

Kangpae quickly scanned the _Wolverine_. The fight with the Crab had damaged its armor on its left torso. So when the Wolverine turned around to face him, Kangpae let loose a stream of UAC 5 straight to the damaged armor. His cannon rounds ripped open the _Wolverine's_ structure, exposing the engine shield. The missile launcher burst, sending tons of hot slugs to tear the casing, then exploded and took away everything near it. Kangpae felt a tremendous amount of shock, but he pressed on his attack.

The _Wolverine_ jerked behind, its back slammed into a concrete pillar. Its left torso was gone. Warning signs flashed crazily. A swooshing sound followed coolant stream as Crunch Taylor flushed the cooling system to keep his mech operational. Kangpae fired his missile at point-blank range. Several consecutive explosions rocked the _Wolverine_ back and forth. It lost balance, swaying madly as if it was about to fall. Crunch Taylor tried madly to regain balance, taking several steps backward, away from the _Outbound_. Kangpae could not believe his eyes. Quickly he pulled up the joysticks as hard as he could. He set his crosshair to the tottering Wolverine, and unleashed his UAC 5. A rattling sound followed the cannon rounds streaking through the air, incinerating the exposed engine and internal structure of the _Wolverine_. In a second, Kangpae watched the hulk slammed into a concrete pile behind it, engulfed in a flame, and Crunch Taylor ejected and flew to the sky, then descended to the ground several dozen meters away, in a parachute.

"Holy crap! I smoked Crunch Taylor!" he screamed in joy, then realized that more were still fighting. He brought his mech to other part of the arena where Aida O'Henry and Alex Haight were hammering each other. Aida, in a yellow _Hunchback_, blasted Alex's right torso with her AC20. The massive gun ripped Alex's torso and sheared his right arm. Alex returned fire with his _Shadow Hawk's_ missiles. The missiles blasted a hole in the _Hunchback's_ right torso. Multiple laser bolts struck the right torso, melting armor and burning structures. Flaming body parts and molten armor were sent away, the torso was ripped apart. The _Hunchback_ reeled, but was still alive.

Wasting no time, Kangpae lined up his crosshair with the flaming _Huchback_ and fired his autocannons. His attack was right on target. Three consecutive internal explosions, followed by one huge fireball, set the Hunchback ablaze. Kangpae watched in excitement as Aida O'Henry was thrown out by the ejecting mechanism.

"Hey! That's my kill, you sonofabitch!" Alex yelled. But Kangpae quickly turned 90 degrees, just as Alex fired off his missiles and lasers. Two laser bolts stroke Kangpae's left leg, but not powerful enough to reach the internal structure. Kangpae punched the alpha strike button at the flaming hulk. The UAC round tore the left torso apart, creating a massive shock throughout the 55-ton mech. Chunks of armor were thrown in every direction as the missiles harassed the cracks. Alex Haight was hurt badly from the fight with Aida, and his mech could no longer sustain the attack. The internal structure collapsed, and the _Shadow Hawk_ slid down, torso was wide open and fire started to spread in the internal section. Sparks and gear fluid spurted uncontrollably from the wound. One second later it erupted in a huge fireball.

There was still one mech left to fight, a heavily modified _Phoenix Hawk_ owned by Anita Muscatelli. Although Kangpae's _Outbound_ outweighed the _Phoenix Hawk_ by 10 tons, Kangpae knew he couldn't underestimate the pilot. He pushed his throttle to maximum and brought his mech running toward the center. Anita was already there, firing her PPC like an artillery turret. Kangpae ducked, missing the PPC bolts above his head, then fired his weapons as soon as he got in range. The poorly aimed shots missed the _Phoenix Hawk_, but three missiles slammed into its midst. The _Phoenix Hawk_ staggered, then returned fire. A PPC bolt hit the _Outbound_ on the center. Kangpae gritted his teeth as his mech shook.

Aligning with the _Phoenix Hawk_, Kangpae mashed the trigger. This time he scored some critical hit at the _Phoenix Hawk's_ right arm. Sparks burst from the wound. Kangpae held his trigger, letting his UAC 5 bark again and again. Another shot from the _Phoenix Hawk_ threw off his crosshair, but he quickly lined up with the 45-ton mech and hit it with his alpha strike. Fire engulfed the _Phoenix Hawk_ as Kangpae's shots drilled into the internal structure. It managed to stay erect, but Kangpae's missiles finally brought it to its knees. Two hits on the chest cut off the power line. The _Phoenix Hawk_ toppled backward, and Anita Muscatelli ejected.

Kangpae couldn't even begin to comprehend when the klaxon blarred again, honoring his victory. His first time fighting in the medium-weight class turned into a sterling performance, one of the biggest upsets in Solaris medium-class history. Kangpae brought his mech into the hangar and reporters already swamped the hangar. He, a nifty "seat-filler", had overturned everybody's expectation and made it to medium-class semifinal. He smiled, knowing that his dream was withing his arm's reach.

_**  
Thor's Shieldhall Tavern,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII  
**__**April 30, 3055**_

Everything in Thor's Shieldhall was different since Kangpae won the medium quarterfinal. Everybody greeted him with warm smile and friendly handshake. Everywhere he went, fans followed him for his signature. He lived in a dream world where every person he met knew him.

This sudden burst of fame made Kangpae felt like a god. He stayed up late and partied, drinking and smoking until he couldn't take it anymore. He did interviews with magazines, TVs, newspapers, and other media. When confronted by Alex Haight that he used dishonorable method to win, Kangpae thrashed Alex, saying that he needed to learn some new tricks from younger players.

His behavior ultimately strained his relationship with Emi.

"I think you should tone down your lifestyle a little," Emi said. "You still have the semifinal in front of you, and the challenge will only get tougher. Why don't you save the interviews and the parties until you win the final. You don't want your focus to be distracted by these glamorous lifestyle."

"Why can't you just be happy?" Kangpae replied. "This is what I've been waiting for, and I think I earn a little more celebration and a little more respect, especially from you."

"I am happy for you," Emi rebuked. "It's just you still have a long road. Your contenders in the semifinal will be 5 times better than in the quarterfinal. You need a lot more practice."

"I have a mechanism, and as long as I can keep it running, I'll be fine," Kangpae responded. "Besides, what do you know about fighting? You've never been there. Leave the fighting to me."

"You're a jerk!" Emi stood and left Kangpae. Kangpae tried to stop her, but a girl suddenly appeared. She wore a long dress with a high cutout that showed most of her tight legs. Her blond hair fell on her naked shoulder, and her earrings sparkled as she shook her head, smiling in mockery.

"My my my," she said in her sultry voice. "The hottest mechwarrior in Solaris is a girl's slave."

"Have we met before?" Kangpae asked.

"You meet me now," she sat next to him. "My name is Del. I've been in this business for a long time, and I know when I look at a legend. You have the same spark as Kai Allard Liao."

"You met Kai?" Kangpae asked. "The greatest mechwarrior in the Inner Sphere since Natasha Kerensky?"

"Met him, dated him, had dinner with him," Del smiled. "He's such a gentleman. And you remind me of him. Which brings me to my question: why are you hanging out here, in Thor's Shieldhall? A champion like you belongs in Valhalla Club where legends hang out. Thor's Shieldhall is only for "timeys" and losers."

"Hey, you're right!" Kangpae exclaimed. "I do belong in Valhalla Club! Do you have a pass?"

"You don't need a pass," Del winked. "You just show yourself, state who you are, and they'll let you in."

"Sounds good!" Kangpae got up, but then remembered something. "What about Emi? Can I bring her?"

"Valhalla Club is the place for the highest-class socialites," Del scoffed. "You'll be hanging out with Srin Odessa, Bob Yearly, or Michael Rose alike. Do you want them to see you with a waitress that works at Thor's Shieldhall? Remember, in Valhalla Club, image is everything."

Kangpae looked at Emi who was serving beer to some other mechwarriors. "Yeah, you're right. I'm a hotshot. So I guess you can be my guest of honor, then."

"With utmost pleasure," Del wrapped her arms around Kangpae. As they got up to leave the bar, Emi looked at the two with raging jealousy on her eyes. But Kangpae didn't notice. He was enjoying himself and the reputation he got from his last match, although he felt a bit guilty he left Emi.

_**  
Valhalla Club,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**April 30, 3055**_

The ambient music in the club was very entertaining. Kangpae couldn't believe he was at the most famous club in Solaris. The atmosphere was different than Thor's Shieldhall. None of the socialites talked about how great they were in battle with raised voice, so people around them could hear. They talked in private, smiling and nodding at each other's comment. It was hard to imagine that they were gladiators that tried to kill each other on the arenas.

Del ordered two glass of champagne and brought Kangpae to two gentlemen engaging in a serious talk. One of them was a tall man with grey hair, the other one was a medium-built man with tan complexion. They shot a quick look at Del, and somehow Kangpae felt repulsion from these two guys when he and Del came closer.

"Pete, Duncan," Del smiled. "It's been a long time. I'd like you to meet Kangpae, the newest hotshot."

Kangpae immediately recognized the two gentlemen. "Peter Dexter, the Grey Wolf! It's an honor to meet you, Sir! And Duncan Fisher, I presume. I can't believe I meet you guys!"

"Lucky for you Alex Haight is not here tonight," Peter replied, shooting a smile of superiority. "He'll chomp your ass because of what you did to him."

"Guys, I thought we were not talking about the game here," Del quickly responded to Peter's slur before Kangpae could reply. "Let's get civilized."

"And where's your civilized friend you brought here last time, Del?" Duncan retorted. "You left him at Thor's Shieldhall, after he got mauled by Gus Polliard?"

"What?" Kangpae said. "What does that suppose to mean? Look, Duncan, just because you're a big-time player doesn't give you the right to insult my girlfriend!"

"Girlfriend?" Peter chuckled. "Take my advice, Kangpae. You're young, you're confused by the sudden change in your life, and you're biting something that you can't chew. Use your head and take it slow. You'll see things more clearly when you're not speeding."

"You're just jealous," Kangpae blurted. "You feel threatened by my presence. Well, keep your eyes open, 'timeys', because I'm going to rip you on the field, just like I ripped Alex Haight, Crunch Taylor, Aida O'Henry, and Anita Muscatelli. Come on, Del. We're leaving."

Kangpae grabbed Del's arm and heaved it out of Valhalla Club. His heart pounded on his ears. "Arrogant old men!" he grunted. "They think they're so slick! I'm gonna crush them next time I see them in the arena!"

"That's the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me," Del replied. "You defended my dignity in front of those arrogant jerks. Thanks, Kangpae. I owe you big time."

Before Kangpae could reply, Del wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The anger, the alcohol, and Del's sweet lips made Kangpae forget about his life. He grabbed Del's body and kissed her back. They spent several minutes kissing passionately until they were out of breath.

"Let's finish this at your place," Del whispered seductively.

"Good idea," Kangpae had totally lost control of himself.

_**  
Steiner Colliseum,  
**__**Silesia, Solaris VII,  
**__**May 14, 3055**_

Kangpae could hear the cheering people indistinctly as he drove his _Outbound_ to the open field of the Colliseum. They had been waiting for the action. Eight mechs had entered the arena, ready to blast each other off. The coliseum was littered by countless mech parts, and at one corner Kangpae saw the head of an _Atlas_, grinning at him menacingly. It was the first semifinal of medium-weight class. Only two of the contenders would go to the medium-weight final. Kangpae learnt that he was in the same pit with Marcus Wilder, Peter Dexter, Ellie Niels, and Duncan Fisher, along with some other unrecognized aces.

The klaxon blasted, and Kangpae floored the pedal. From his radar Kangpae saw a red _Griffin_ sprinting toward him. He knew it was Peter Dexter. Kangpae swung to the right, charging the _Griffin_, while still keeping crisscrossing. The Grey Wolf twisted his torso and showered the _Outbound_ with missiles. Kangpae slammed the joysticks to the right, avoiding the salvo. The missiles went wild, but two missiles stroke his shoulder, raking armor and dangerously threatened the joints. Kangpae smelled burning armor, he winced and fired his autocannon. Two rounds cracked the armor on the _Griffin's_ left torso. Kangpae was pumped up by his marksmanship, but three consecutive blasts rocked his mech back and forth. Kangpae turned around and saw Ellie Niel's _Dervish_ changed course to its right. Kangpae put his crosshair squarely at the _Dervish's_ torso, but Peter Dexter blasted his PPC from behind. Shrapnel of armor flew everywhere as the _Outbound_ staggered. Three laser bolts from Duncan's _Enforcer_ followed up the PPC, spearing the _Outbound_ right on the chest. Within 15 seconds of the fight, Kangpae had lost 40 percent of armor.

Sweat beaded on Kangpae's brow, seeing yet another mech coming in his direction. He realized that his outburst at Peter and Duncan the other day might trigger them to 'teach him a lesson'. Now Marcus Wilder joined the fray, sacking three autocannon rounds from his _Centurion_. Kangpae yelled as he was rocked aside. The impact caused his right arm to jam; the last round speared through the structure and cut off several bundles of myomer. He twisted his torso, put Ellie's _Dervish_ in his targeting reticule and blasted off all his weapons. All of them went wild. Peter Dexter once again scored a PPC hit. Molten armor sprayed all over the place. Duncan and Marcus fired in unison, vaporizing his left arm. The _Outbound_ staggered from the loss of armor and gyros. Warning sign scrambled into the cockpit, screaming critical hits. Kangpae groaned and desperately fired his missiles at Duncan. The missiles shattered the _Enforcer's_ torso, but failed to do damage.

The _Griffin_, _Dervish_, and _Centurion_ fired in unison, all connect to his chest. Blinding flash forced Kangpae to cover his eyes with his hands. Chunks of burning molten armor sprayed from his chest. Sparks spurt from cut cables. His eyes were blurred, he couldn't see what was going on in front of him. Then suddenly, a powerful force catapulted him out of his mech. The next thing he knew, he was floating in the air in a parachute, watching his _Outbound_ crashed and burnt under the onslaught of four enemy aces. As the _Griffin_, _Dervish_, _Enforcer_, and _Centurion_ turned to each other, a MASH unit came and retrieved Kangpae from the arena.

**_  
Thor's Shieldhall Tavern,  
_**_**Solaris City, Solaris VII  
**__**May 19, 3055**_

Once again, Kangpae found himself sitting at the corner of Thor's Shieldhall, listening to braggarts telling tales about how great they were in combats. He knew they were telling lies. He had been in the best and worst parts of Solaris arena, and he knew the real story behind Solaris better than anybody in the bar.

After the semifinal fiasco, nobody recognized him anymore. He was back at where he was before he aced the quarterfinal. Worse, his stable master fired him because he lost money on the mech and on the gambling table. That left Kangpae with a wrecked _Outbound_, a mech no technicians would fix because it was unorthodox. Kangpae tried to call Del, see if she knew somebody that could help him, but she disappeared. Last time he saw her with another lucky mechwarrior before she brought him to Valhalla Club. He learnt that Del was nothing more than a "mechbunny". She never met Kai Allard Liao. She was not in mechwarrior business. All she did was to hang out with "mayflies" so she could go into Valhalla Club. "Mayflies" just like Kangpae.

Emi came to the next table to serve beer, and Kangpae snatched the opportunity to call her. "Emi, I know I've been a jerk lately. I know I hurt your feeling. But now I realize that Del is just a mirage. You're what's real, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me. Please, Emi, let's talk about our future."

Emi shot a sorrow but firm stare at Kangpae. "There's nothing left to talk, Kangpae. I don't want to be a rebound girl. I stuck with you through the lowest points in your life, but you left me when you were in the better position. You don't hurt me because you slept with another girl. You hurt me because you were ashamed to go out with me. You'll always see me as a waitress."

"Emi, you know it's not true…"

"It's over, Kangpae," Emi walked to the counter. "Now what can I serve you?"

That was it. Kangpae knew he had lost everything. He had nothing left in Solaris. So he got up, put some c-bills on the table, and walked mindlessly out of the bar. Something at the door caught his interest. It was a flier with a horned skull stamped on it. He curled his lips when he read the flier:

_Join Hanson's Roughriders and we'll take you to worlds where your fame and money awaits!_

**THE END**

**Some Solaris Slang:**

**Blood pit: **Small, undistinguished 'Mech arena, usually outside of Solaris City.  
**Hitman: **A MechWarrior who enjoys injuring or killing his opponents.  
**Knievel: **A reckless or glory-hungry MechWarrior who takes unnecessary risks.  
**Mayflies: **Young MechWarriors who advance too quickly to high-level competition, only to be defeated and forgotten.  
**Mechbunny: **A somewhat derogatory term for fans who enjoy associating with MechWarriors.  
**Pinball Machine: **A particularly flashy or extensively modified BattleMech.  
**Seatfiller: **A low-class MechWarrior recruited at the last minute to fill up a fight card.  
**Timey: **A MechWarrior past his prime.


	3. Chapter 3

**Project: Fire Hawk**

A short BattleTech story by RogueBaron

BattleTech / MechWarrior and all its components are copyright of _FASA_ and _Wizkids_. All rights reserved.

_**  
Corporate Lobby,  
**__**Coventry Metal Works,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 6, 3058**_

Cadet Allison walked down the ramp from the _Karnov_ slowly. In front of her lied another cargo helicopter, divulging fresh cadets just like herself. Several battlemechs scattered around, with technicians, pilots and engineers all around them. Allison was psyched. Her field training was a complete success, bringing her to the top-five graduate with seven helicopter, three tank and one mech kills. She was transferred to Coventry Metal Works as one of the test pilots for a new class of battlemech. CMW had been developing a stronger, more durable model to replace Lyran's scout mech, the _Commando_. Being the first batch to pilot the new mech made her thrilled.

She walked down to the HQ building with other new graduates. Inside they formed a line while two officers inspected their dossiers. Forming up the line, Allison inspected the building. Blueprints were hanging on the walls, engineers and soldiers in uniform strolling back and forth, some of them chattering over their com link.

"Alright, newbies, welcome to Coventry Metal Works," one of the officers said. "My name is Hauptmann-Kommandant Gunther. I am responsible for the screening for the new Lyran battlemechs. That's why you're here. You are selected from the best new graduates from all around Lyran Alliance. You have exemplary records throughout your training. Some of you will be selected to be the first to man this new, awesome machine that will set a new standard in the battlefield.

"This new mech, code-named _Fire Hawk_, combines the speed and agility of a _Locust_ with the armor and firepower of a _Wolfhound_. Floats like a _Flea_, stings like an _UrbanMech_. It is designed with one task in mind: hunter killer, to kill enemy scouts. This mech is by no means a scout, so those of you who expect to sneak behind enemy line for a few photographs, you don't belong here. That job is for paparazzi. Your job is to kill enemy's paparazzis. Got me?"

"We got you, Sir!" Allison and the cadets replied in unison.

"Remember, I expect you to exceed my expectation. Briefing tomorrow at 900 hours, then you'll have your first taste of this mech, but only in simulation. I want you to be fully familiar with this mech before I put you in the real one. This mech costs 5 million c-bills a piece. Now dismiss and follow Hauptmann Rolf to your bunks."

Allison followed the hauptmann and walked to two barracks, not very far from there. The hauptmann assigned male cadets to one barrack and the females to the other. When she entered, Allison found her name engraved on one of the lockers beside a bed. She slammed herself on the bed. She was 18 year old, 5'5" 125 lbs with shoulder-length hair and dark eyes. She grabbed a soap bar and walked towards the shower.

_**  
Briefing Room,  
**__**Coventry Metal Works,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 7, 3058**_

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!"

Allison was standing in the briefing room with other cadets. Hautpmann-Kommandant Gunther was standing in front of a map hanging on the wall. There were almost 20 cadets in the room, everyone was as eager as Allison. Although today was just a simulation, everyone was anxious to get to know a mech that floated like a _Flea_, stung like an _UrbanMech_, just like Gunther said the other day.

"Today we will play the classic 'Catch The Flag' game. Your job is to defend your flag while trying to take enemy's flag. Simple, but effective. I will divide you into Red Team and Blue Team. Red Team consists of Adam, Joy, Marge, Tobe, Voght, Zander, Troy, and Gil. Blue Team consists of Cedric, Allison, Fowl, Jensen, Piet, Bruno, Hajji, and Leroy.

"You will power up immediately around your flag. You know the rule, so stay in the game as long as possible. I will review your combat skill personally. Remember, we need only a dozen pilots. That means, by the end of the screening, some of you will go home. Now go to your simulator."

Allison quickly followed the others to the simulation room. There were a lot of simulation capsules, more than the number of cadets. Each capsule was operated by two technicians. Allison took the capsule in the middle, and one of the techs asked her if she was red of blue. Allison said blue, and the tech connected the blue cable into the main slot. Allison entered the capsule, which was an exact replica of a battlemech's cockpit. She put on her neurohelmet, sat on the command couch, and pressed the start button.

The screen in front of her came to life, and for the first time Allison saw the mech. It was humanoid, with a head similar to a _Hatchetman. _The mech sported two medium pulse lasers, one on each side torso, and one SRM-6 on the center torso. Seven other mechs stood by her side, and 100 meters behind her lied the blue flag. Another group of mechs, denoted as red dots in her radar, stood 1 kilometer away from her position.

"Come on, let's kill the Red Team!" somebody yelled. "Charge! Charge!"

Without warning, the Blue Team rushed toward the Red Team, while the other did the same. Allison gunned her engine into the center. Her mech responded quickly to her demand, running smoothly on the coarse, arid terrain. Allison could only hope that the real mech had this exact treat. She pushed the throttle to maximum as the Red Team loomed closer and closer.

Soon, all hell broke loose. Laser bursts blasted the front armor of the other mechs, spreading molten armor into the air. Missiles leapt from their tubes and erupted upon impact. The battle was quick and confusing. In a state like this, it was hard to determine which one was enemy and which one was friend. Ironically, some cadets blasted their own comrades without realizing that they were on the same team. All guns blazed, and after several minutes of confusing battle, arms and legs started to fly to every direction.

Allison triggered her jump jets, bringing her flying over the main battlefield below. She landed 50 meters behind an enemy mech and rushed toward the red flag. She was adjusting her course when she heard several beeps on her radar. Suddenly several rounds of missile slammed into her back. Allison yelped as her mech almost toppled, but her quick reflex saved her from tumbling. She turned around and another mech from the Red Team was firing pulse lasers at her.

Allison knew she had to deal with this attacker, so she let out a quick burst of lasers. Her bursts flew wide without harm. The other mech tilted up and spread its missiles, one of which caught Allison on the center torso. Allison staggered, but quickly reestablished her footing and fired off her lasers, but the other mech was quick enough to get out of the way. Allison leapt into the air and sprayed the other mech with her pulse lasers. Three laser bolts hit the other mech on the left arm, gouging deep black scars on the armor. Allison landed smoothly, but two laser streaks darted her torso. Warning sign glared on the console, she lost 65-percent armor on the front. She winced, yanking the joystick to other directions. Laser burst all around her.

"Come on!" Allison taunted. "You want some piece of me? Come on, give me your best shot!"

The other mech took off into the air and fired its entire guns at Allison. She floored the pedal and savagely tugged the stick until it touched her groin. Her mech jumped into the air, missing all the lasers and missiles. Tracers of lasers and missiles blasted from her guns as she hit the alpha-strike button. The missiles slammed into the other mech's midst while her lasers ravaged its left arm. The Red Team mech lost balance, then crashed to the ground as it slipped upon landing.

"Hell Yeah! Eat dirt, asshole!" Allison screamed, letting out her frustration.

Suddenly, two laser beams stroke deep into her left torso. Gear fluid was incinerated, causing major fire near the rotor. Allison groaned as her left pulse laser was destroyed. She glanced back and saw two Red Team mechs, shredded to pieces but still functional, taking pot shots at her.

"Damn cowards, shooting in the back!" she turned her mech around. "Here, eat my missiles and die!"

She fired her 6-pack SRM at a Red Team mech that lost one leg. The mech didn't have time to flinch. All six missiles slammed into the center torso, ripping the remaining armor apart and incinerating the ammunition bins. The mech blasted in a huge fireball. She twisted slightly to the right and targeted the other mech. She fired two rounds of pulse lasers into its midst. The mech, battered from the previous brawl, rocked back and forth as Allison's fire destroyed its generator. It toppled to the ground.

Allison watched the mech tumbled but suddenly felt a rush of explosion hit her from her back. The other Red Team mech had regained its footing, and was shooting Allison from the back. Allison turned around, but the other mech fired its entire arsenal. She bit her lips as quakes overcame the cockpit. Her mech lost power, then slumped to the ground.

"Crap!" Allison cursed, watching the other mech rushed freely toward the blue flag. As soon as it arrived at the blue flag, the screen went off. Allison realized that she was the last one standing from the Blue Team. Had she won over the other mech, she was the one that waltzed over the red flag and scored the victory. But it was too late. She stripped her neurohelmet and got out of the simulator.

Outside, Hauptmann-Kommandant Gunther had been waiting for them. "Some of you did exceed my expectation, but others failed to impress me. There will be two more screening tests for you before I make my decision. Carry on, mechwarriors, but don't make yourself comfortable yet."

_**  
Yodel Bar,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 7, 3058**_

After a quick shower, Allison went to the bar to cool off. She was still mad about the simulation in the morning. She thought the other mechwarrior cheated her by shooting her in the back. She knew that there was no rule about shooting in the back for Spheroid mechwarriors, but she still felt that the other one should not do it.

In the bar, several cadets were gathering on a table, smiling and talking about the simulation. Judging from their elaborate talking, Allison could see that they were from the Red Team. One particular cadet laughed and smiled and talked like he was the hero of the team. Allison immediately knew that he was the one that shot her in the back, the last cadet standing. She thought she should say a few words to him, so she came to the table and stared at the cadet rudely.

"You cheated on the simulation!" she rapped. "Everybody saw what you did, and yet you gloat like you're a war hero or something! You make me sick!"

The group of cadet suddenly stopped talking. The one that Allison tongue-lashed got up, but instead of yelling back, he offered her a handshake. "You must be the last one from the Blue Team, the last one I fought. Good moves you have. My name is Tobe, nice to meet you."

"What is wrong with you?" Allison flamed. "You cheating bastard! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Why?" Tobe frowned. "Shooting in the back is a quick way to kill your enemy, because the rear armor is thinner than the front armor. And as far as I know, we don't have 'rules' like the Clans. All is fair in love and war."

Tobe had a good point, and Allison admitted it. But she didn't want to show it, not to an arrogant cadet like Tobe. "You knew I was fighting two of your friends. You knew I was outnumbered. Yet you took advantage of that and singed me with cheap shots from behind! I hope you got expelled from Coventry!"

"Why are you so upset about it?" Tobe chuckled. "It's only a game! There will be two more simulations, and if you think I owe you a fair duel, then I'll see you in combat." Tobe chugged his beer. "And to make you feel better, I only cheat if I don't think I can do it the right way."

Allison didn't know if she should feel better. But his last comment did make her feel a little good. She decided that she didn't want to pursue the fight anymore. She stepped back and gave Tobe a quick snort, saying, "I'll be waiting." She quickly exited the bar and went back to her barrack.

_**  
Simulation Room,  
**__**Coventry Metal Works,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 9, 3058**_

The cadets were assembled on the simulation room where Gunther held the briefing. Allison stole a quick glance at Tobe. He was a man in his early twenties, with crew-cut hair and arrogant face. Allison could not wait fighting him again. He was a good fighter and had good moves, but Allison was confident she could beat him, considering he didn't find a way to cheat.  
"This time, Red Team will guard a depot, and Blue Team will attack it," Gunther explained the simulation plot. "You have 10 minutes. Blue Team wins if the depot is destroyed, and Red Team wins if the depot still stands after 10 minutes. Above all, one team wins if all the other team members are destroyed. I will reshuffle the team to give you a chance to work with everybody. Red Team is Fowl, Adam, Joy, Piet, Voght, Zander, Troy, and Hajji. Blue Team is Marge, Tobe, Cedric, Allison, Jensen, Bruno, Gil, and Leroy. Alright, you know your objective. Get into the simulators and get it done!"

"So, this duel of ours will have to wait," Tobe said as Allison slipped into the simulator. "We're on the same team now."

"Doesn't mean you're my friend," Allison retorted. "Just get out of my crosshair."

"Sure," Tobe smiled. "See you on the battlefield."

The simulation started, and the Blue Team was deployed one kilometer from the depot. Allison quickly set her throttle to maximum and joined the rest of the Blue Team to charge the depot. She set aside all thoughts about Tobe and focused on the depot.

"Hey, girl, this is Tobe," suddenly her comlink crackled with Tobe's annoying voice. "Wanna win this round quickly? Don't waste your time and energy fighting the Red Team. We win as soon as the depot crumbles, and hitting the depot is much easier than hitting mechs. It's big, stationary, and doesn't shoot back."

"What the hell is your problem?" Allison yelled. "What do you want from me?"

"Come with me and I'll show you the way to a quick, painless victory!"

As much as Allison wanted to ignore Tobe, she knew Tobe was right. Being in the offense gave her considerable advantage. She started to see a different side of Tobe. He was bright. He knew what to do to win, and he didn't waste his time doing anything else. She decided to follow him. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"Slow down and let others pass. Let them engage the Red Team."

"Are you nuts? The Blue Team will be outnumbered! You're pimping your comrades so you can get the price! Dirty scum! We can't do that in real combat!"

"If we strike the depot quickly, none will get hurt. Are you with me?"

Allison still felt Tobe's tactic was very risky, but she understood what he was trying to do. Quicker fight resulted in less casualties. But her comrades had to suffer, and some of them might 'die'. She was torn between completing her objective quickly and saving her comrades. She couldn't make a decision.

"Hey! Make up your mind quickly!" Tobe snapped. "In real combat, you'll die if you hesitate!"

"Dammit, I'm gonna regret this!" Allison decided she would go with Tobe. "Alright, I'm slowing down!"

She depressed the pedal and held the joystick backward to bring her mech slow down. The Blue Team rushed on and started engaging the Red Team. Missiles and lasers slammed into each other, gouging deep gashs on the armors and pulling several cracks off the internals. The Blue Team fought a respectable struggle, but missing two members made them overwhelmed. The Red Team quickly pressed the Blue Team, pushing them back, away from the depot.

"Allison! Tobe! What the hell are you doing?" Gunther's voice exploded on Allison's comlink. "Get back in rank and help your friends!"

"Ignore him," Tobe crackled. "It's time. Follow me!"

Tobe's mech broke into a sprint, then jumped into the air. Allison gunned her engine then fired up her jump jets, making her mech soar above the Blue and Red Teams, and landed only 50 meters from the depot. The Red Team, startled by their sudden move, started to disengage the Blue Team but the Blue Team kept them busy. Allison and Tobe pummeled the depot with everything they had, and soon enough, the depot crumbled and burnt.

"See?" Tobe quipped as the simulator screen went dark. "We destroyed the depot quick enough before our team suffer any casualties. Thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Do you think we'll be in trouble for disobeying order?" Allison asked.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble? We completed our objective, Blue Team won without casualty… what could possibly be better than this?"

"I don't know," Allison sighed. "Hauptmann-Kommandant Gunther didn't sound too happy."

"If he makes a big deal out of it, then he's an idiot. Let's get out."

As soon as Allison got out, Gunther greeted her with flaming eyes. Allison knew that she would lose her place as the pioneer mechwarrior of the new mech. If she did, then she swore she would kill Tobe.

"My office… Now!" Gunther roared. "You too, Tobe!"

"Don't say anything," Tobe whispered while they followed Gunther. "I'll take care of this."

_**  
Hauptmann-Kommandant Gunther's Office,  
**__**Coventry Metal Works,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 9, 3058**_

"You disregarded order from your ranking officer and acted recklessly!" Gunther screamed in front of Tobe's and Allison's faces. "You left your comrades fighting the enemies alone! That is a lethal dose of insubordination, cadets! I will put this in your dossiers and no one will ever want you on their teams!"

"With all due respect, Sir," Tobe responded. "The Blue Team's objective is the destruction of the depot. We accomplished our objective, Sir, and in addition to that, the Blue Team did not lose a single member."

"Don't smart up with me, cadet!" Gunther hissed. "Are you saying that your objective is more important than the lives of your comrades?"

"Sir, no Sir! That is the motivation that I acted beyond my order. I know the fighting will stop if the depot is destroyed. To minimize casualties, we need to destroy the depot as soon as possible."

"Then why didn't you lead your comrades to carry your bright idea?"

"They wouldn't listen to me, Sir," Tobe answered matter-of-factly. "Only an intelligent mechwarrior with an open mind would understand my plan, and carry it with trust."

"And this is your intelligent, open-minded mechwarrior?" Gunther switched his attention to Allison. "Is that true, Cadet Allison?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" Allison didn't have anything else to say. "Cadet Tobe's plan is the best thing for the Blue Team, so I did it."

Gunther stared at Tobe and Allison interchangeably, then walked behind his desk and slammed himself onto the chair. "In my 20 years of experience, this is the first time my cadets make me feel like a moron. No cadets had defied me before. Newbies… they carried my order as if I was the archon. You two are stupid enough to overlook the fact that I, though not the archon, decide your fate in this project.

"However, you manage to take advantage of the flaw in the computer simulation," Gunther looked at Tobe. "Someone with your observation skill will be very helpful for Lyran Alliance Armed Force."

"Does that mean I pass your screening, Sir?" Tobe asked.

"You and your intelligent, open-minded mechwarrior," Gunther glanced to Allison. "We have one more simulated battle before we go on the field test. Obey my command and I'll give you the first two spots on the field test, along with my recommendation to go to whatever Lyran unit you wish to join. Now dismiss."

Allison smiled from ear to ear. When they got out, she tapped Tobe's hand. "I never liked you, Tobe. You're the most arrogant, reckless cheater I have ever seen. However, you take responsibility of your actions and you gave me a spot in this project. I highly respect that. So thank you. I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing but your name," Tobe winked. "I think we are never properly introduced. Hi, I'm Tobe, first of Class of 57, Pandora College."

"Allison, third of Class of 57, Nagelring," Allison shook Tobe's hand. "Wanna hit the bar? I think this whole situation makes me thirsty."

"Sure, why not," Tobe smiled and walked with Allison. "I'm buying."

_**  
Simulation Room,  
**__**Coventry Metal Works,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**March 13, 3058**_

The third simulation went well. Knowing that their places on the field test team were guaranteed, Tobe and Allison played it safe and didn't pull off any reckless stunt. Today was the announcement of the field test team, the mechwarriors that were deemed fit to pilot the new mech for the first time. Unsurprisingly, Tobe and Allison found their names among the 12 names that were selected for field test in Eaton. Mechwarriors that found their names on the list rejoiced and celebrated the event in the bar.

"I don't know if we should go with them," Allison said to Tobe. "We've known we'd be in this team since last week."

"It'll be awkward if we don't," Tobe replied. "Others will suspect foul play. Come on, it doesn't hurt going to the bar and have a few drinks with them. Just fake excitement and congratulate each other for an hour. Then you can do whatever you want."

"I suspect you're right," Allison said unenthusiastically. "Alright, let's go."

_**  
Notell Motel,  
**__**Coventry, Lyran Alliance,  
**_**_March 14, 3058_**

"Ugh!" Allison woke up with a massive headache. She massaged her temple to clear her mind, then realized that she was not in her barrack. She was in a room unfamiliar to her, with clothes and shoes and bedsheets scattered all over the floor. She didn't remember how she ended up here, and then she realized that she was not alone. A man was snoring next to him, naked.

"What the hell?" she flipped the man, and gasped when she realized he was Tobe. She shifted to the other side of the bed, then realized that she was, too, naked. "No!" she choked, thinking of the only thing that could have done between them. "No, no, no!"

"Shut up, Allison!" Tobe mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep…" Then Tobe jerked his head when his sense came to him. "Oh crap, oh crap! This can't be happening!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Allison yelled, covering her vitals with the bed sheet. "How could you jeopardize our careers by acting this stupid?"

"Me? How come it's me?" Tobe retorted. "Do you think it's my idea?"

"You're the one that act reckless all the time! I'm not a slut that sleeps with anybody!"

"But even if I asked you, you could've said no! What, do you think I'm a psychopath that put a knife under your chin while having sex with you? Do you think I enjoy the company of a helpess woman? Face it Allison, you're as guilty as I am. We… we could've drunk too much."

"Aw crap!" Allison smacked her head with her palm. Of course she drank too much. She couldn't remember what happened to her, she smelled like a can of beer, and she still had hungover. She regretted her decision to go to the bar that led to sleeping with Tobe. LAAF would not allow a couple in the same unit. One of them, or worse, both of them would have to leave the team.

"Gunther cannot know about this," Allison stated.

"Nobody shouldn't," Tobe added. "If anybody ask, we say that we just have some fun."

"Just casual, no string attached."

"Right," Tobe got up and started collecting his clothes. "We'd better get back before anybody notice."

_**  
LCS Adrian Steiner,  
**__**Orbit of Eaton,  
**__**Skye Province, Lyran Alliance  
**__**August 1, 3058**_

Nobody ever found out what happened to Tobe and Allison. It was as if it never happened. But for Tobe and Allison, that night became their nightmare. The journey from Coventry to Eaton became the longest 5 months in their lives, because they always kept their distance. They tried to act normal, but the fear of getting caught haunted them in every occasion. Tobe and Allison never conversated longer than 5 minutes, and if they did talk, they only talked general things.

For Allison, it was the worst scenario possible. Tobe transformed from the one she hated, to the one she liked, to the one she bedded, to the one she had to avoid at all cost. She didn't even remember if she enjoyed her time with Tobe, but she had to pay the price nonetheless. Sometimes she thought that she was just being paranoid, that nobody would ever find out about that night. But other times she felt everybody stared at her mockingly.

After 5 months traveling, they finally arrived at Eaton. All mechwarriors gathered in the briefing room to hear the mission. It was the real mission where they would take the _Fire Hawks_ into combat for the first time.

"For years, the Skye separatists have been a thorn in our flesh," Gunther said. "They want to segregate from Lyran Alliance and establish their own province. The 17th Skye Jaegers reported that there is a camouflaged base near the island of Fritz. There are no mechs in sight, just some armor companies and laser turrets. The Jaegers also reported that some helicopter landing pads are spotted north of the base.

"Your objective is to level that base. Drop off point is 2 kilometers outside the base. The techs had put the nav points on your computers. Follow the nav points, kill everything in sight, and get back to the dropship. This mission should not take more than 30 minutes. The separatist's tanks should not pose a problem for your new mech. Any questions? Good, drop off is in 20 minutes. Good luck!"

Allison jogged to the hangar bay into the Union dropship where a dozen _Fire Hawk_ mechs waited. The 30-ton mechs was painted in traditional Lyran-blue, and the smell of the fresh paint filled the hangar. Two laser cannons peeked menacingly on each side of the torso, and a six-tube missile launcher occupied the lower abdomen of the mech, just like the SRM-6 on a _Commando_. Allison quickly climbed to the cockpit and, assisted by two techs, turned the mech on. A soft whirl echoed in the cockpit, and her console turned to life.

"Cadet Allison reporting to duty," she spoke on the comlink. "All system nominal, ready to go."

"Hey Allison," Tobe called her from private channel. "Sorry that things had been awkward for us."

"Yeah," Allison sighed. "Me too."

"When we get back to Coventry, can we start over? I mean, we were on the wrong track since we first met, and things went out of control until we are in this position. I want to fix it."

"Why are you asking this now?" Allison smiled. "Your timing couldn't be more perfect!"

"Well, we never had a chance to talk privately. Eyes and ears are everywhere. So what do you say?"

"I don't know. I have to think about it."

"Should I leave you my number?"

"Shut up!" Allison turned her comlink off.

Five minutes later, the dropship shook and rumbled as it pierced Eaton atmosphere, all the way down to the surface. As the bay door opened, the _Fire Hawk_ companies raced to the open and quickly formed three lances. The lances split up and sprinted toward the separatist's base. It was nighttime, and the blue paint of the _Fire Hawks_ helped them to camouflage while inching toward the base.

Eight hundred meters from the base, laser bolts started pouring from the base's turrets. The night turned bright as the turrets intensified the counter attack. As the _Fire Hawks_ ran closer and closer to the base, several _Myrmidons_ powered up and pumped up their PPCs.

Allison jiggled her stick to dodge the laser and PPC rain. She was too far from the base to use her weapons, but the separatist's counter attack became more and more intense. One PPC bolt hit the _Fire Hawk_ on Allison's left, squarely on the midst. It punched a hole in the _Fire Hawk's_ torso, taking away armor and exposing engine and fusion reactor to air. The poor mech staggered heavily, the sudden change in balance made it swinging and twisting around. Three consecutive laser bolts streaked out and hit another _Fire Hawk_ in front of her. The _Fire Hawk_ crashed to the ground in flame.

"Allison, their defense grid is too strong!" Tobe yelled. "We have to swing around to the right flank! If we can find the power generator or control tower, we can turn off the turrets!"

"I'm coming with you!" Allison yanked her joystick to the right, bringing her mech sprinting amidst laser and PPC barrages. She spotted Tobe's mech and throttled up to follow him. Burning chunks of armor were thrown at every direction as another _Fire Hawk_ exploded in front of her. The shockwave almost threw her off her feet, but Allison grappled her joystick as hard as she could, keeping her mech on its feet.

Suddenly a laser bolt slammed into her torso, blasting armor and almost hit the internal structure. Allison growled in frustration as she rattled the joystick. She slowed down, coping with the loss of balance, then rammed her pedal to keep running. The closest laser turret had fallen within the range of her weapons. Allison punched the trigger and yanked the joystick to the right. Her missiles flew right to the turret while her lasers carved the turret from the side. Fire burst from the impact, and smoke billowed from the crack. Allison showered the turret with her pulse lasers, until it exploded in a fireball.

Meanwhile, Tobe had reached the right flank of the base, leaving Allison behind. He spotted the turret control tower and moved in to destroy it. Suddenly a squadron of _Warrior_ helicopters boxed him from 2 directions, showering him with missiles. Tobe lit his jump jets, but half of the missiles slammed into his center torso. Tobe was rocked back and forth as his mech was incinerated. His _Fire Hawk_ slouched down to the ground, ablaze.

"Tobe!" Allison cried out, whipping his mech to full speed to help Tobe. "Hang on!"

"No! Forget it, Allison!" Tobe replied amidst a burst of static. "Get back to dropship!"

"No! I will not leave without you!"

A wave of missiles swept the place where Tobe's mech occupied, kicking up dust, soil, and chunks of armor flying on the air. Tobe's _Fire Hawk_ retaliated by missiles and laser, the laser sliced a deep gash on the left side of a _Warrior_. But the _Warrior_ squadron sent another wave of missiles and gouged a deep scar on Tobe's back, right under the reactor. Fire and smoke enveloped the 30-ton mech.

"Tobe, eject! I'll take you out!" Allison screamed. "Eject now!"

"It's too late! Don't come here and save yourself!" Tobe yelled back. "Get out of here, Allison!"

The _Warriors_ struck again. Ten missiles chopped off the armor on its torso, and four consecutive blasts cut the power line on the _Fire Hawk_. It was jolted backward, plummeted to the ground in a loud clang. With one mighty blast the mech turned into a ball of fire.

"No! Dammit!" Allison watched Tobe went up in a blaze of glory. She froze for a moment, mourning the loss of her closest friend, until the _Warriors_ started firing missiles at her. The field was littered with burning carcasses; half of them were Lyran mechs. Allison realized that there was nothing she could do. She turned around and ran as fast as she could, leaving the battlefield behind. The _Warriors_ peppered her back, but as soon as they got into the Lyran dropship's firing range, they retreated. Allison entered the dropship as the last survivor. As soon as she got in, the dropship blasted, leaving Eaton.

_**  
LAAF Headquarters,  
**__**Tharkad City, Tharkad,  
**__**Donegal Province, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**October 25, 3058**_

The 21-salvo echoed throughout the cemetery, and Cadet Allison posed her best salute as her last tribute to her fallen comrades. Six caskets were lowered into the 6-feet hole. Allison watched until Tobe's casket escaped her view, deep inside the hole that would become Tobe's last resting place. As the salvo ended, she lowered her hand and stood beside the rectangular hole, staring blankly at Tobe's casket until most of the attendance went away.

The field test mission was a complete failure. The _Fire Hawk_ mechs never showed its best potential as expected. Instead, six out of twelve prototypes that were sent to Eaton blew up before giving a respectable fight. Coventry Metal Works insisted that the failure was not the result of the mech's performance, but LAAF canceled the purchase anyway. Coventry scrapped the design, and hundreds of mechs that had come out of the production line were sold to civilians and mercenaries.

Allison knelt beside the hole, holding a white lily. She kissed the lily and threw it into the hole, which landed on top of Tobe's casket. A single bead of tear rolled down her cheek, harbored in her lips as she gave him her last smile.

"Goodbye, Tobe," she whispered, then walk aimlessly.

**THE END**


	4. Chapter 4

**ONE SHOT, ONE KILL**

**Note:** Pardon the shortness of this fanfic. This is a very old story of mine, another score for Kurita.

**_Ioto, Delacruz's Moon,  
Kasnejov Prefecture, Draconis Combine,  
__March 19, 3040_**

It was raining heavily on Ioto. Tongues of lightning spread through the sky, followed by thunderous sound. Water drops fell down for days, without any indication when the sun would shine again. It was winter in Ioto, and winter meant rain.

Sho-sa Hayate peeked through the thickets of forest on a hill, overlooking a small town. His _Panther_ was painted in dark green camo to match the surrounding. He cranked up his power scope to maximum while sweeping the town, looking for a distinct figure that was his mission.

Through his power scope Hayate saw a company of FedCom battlemechs seizing the only small town in Ioto, consisted of twenty buildings at most. The company consisted of mostly light mechs, such as _Locusts_, _Stingers_, _Wasps_, and _Valkyries_. One _Phoenix Hawk_, obviously the leader of the company, stood in the middle of the town. Several _Galleons_ and APCs scattered around the buildings. Soldiers dragged civilians out of their houses, gathering around the _Phoenix Hawk_. Men, women, children, they were standing in the heavy rain, in the dimly lit environment of winter. The light mechs scanned every section of the town, making sure that nobody would miss the party in the center of the town.

"PEOPLE OF IOTO" began the commander through his _Phoenix Hawk's_ speakers, "For years, the Kuritans have been corrupt! They take what we worked for, they take our children, make them their loyal mechwarriors to fight us! They take our money, they take our future, they kill our sons! They robbed and raped us! They should be banished!"

The ground troopers yelled and chanted, "Kill! Kill!" The civilians followed their chant hesitantly.

"There is one man who can bring you out of the Kuritans iron hands! One man that is the Messenger of God, who will bring his staff to smite the Kuritans until they run back to their lair with tails between their legs! That man will bring you to the Promised Land of God! That man is … Farouk Al Jabez!"

Hayate exhaled sharply as he brought his crosshair squarely against the head of the _Phoenix Hawk_. He recalled his briefing two days ago before he was sent down Ioto to kill this man. This man, Farouk Al Jabez, was a FedCom loyalist that had been harassing Delacruz, broadcasting hate messages and executing Kuritan soldiers to gain sympathy from FedCom loyalists and demoralize Kurita's garrison on the planet. Although his method was far from FedCom's military doctrine, FedCom never did anything to cease his brutal actions. The newly formed superstate just sat back and enjoyed the reputation Jabez brought.

The _Phoenix Hawk_ let loose a stream of lasers right above the crowded area on the downtown, passing through everybody's head. The city was lit for a little while, then went dark again. The soldiers raised their guns to the air while chanting "Ja-Bez! Ja-Bez! Ja-Bez!" The civillians followed the chants, raising their sticks, soaked shirts, fists, anything they had. The Phoenix Hawk spread its arms, bowed, then walked to the front of the crowd. The _Galleons_ and APC positioned themselves between the mechs and the crowd.

"Greetings in God, people of Ioto! I am very excited to see you again. I'm always excited to meet anybody who do not like Kuritans. Do you know why we don't like Kuritans?"

The troopers answer with "EVIL! EVIL!"

"YES, my dear friends, they are evil! They are the Messenger of Satan, fall down right from hell to the universe, baptize everything with the dragon symbol. That is the symbol of SATAN! They are the children of darkness! We are the children of light!"

Hayate felt his blood boiling as Jabez desecrated Kurita name. He was thinking of smoking the _Phoenix Hawk's_ head with his PPC, but years of Bushido training at Sun Zhang academy calmed him down. As one of the most decorated snipers in DCMS rank, Hayate knew how to control his emotion. He knew that he could not make the shot if he was overwhelmed by emotion. He had to wait until he was 100-percent calm.

"I just got back from Tabayama," Jabez continued. "Your brothers and sisters there are suffering, stricken by the iron hand of the Prince of Darkness, Theodore Kurita! He is the one that cause all this misery, he is the one that bring darkness to the universe, he is the evil himself! I managed to kill some Kuritan goons, set their nest on fire, and capture some of them!"

The soldiers went wild when the APC latch opened and several Kuritan soldiers and mechwarriors walked out, blindfolded, arms behind their backs, exposing the Kurita symbols on their chest.

"You see them yourself, my brothers and sisters! The mark of the Satan is in their clothes! They have been baptized by the power of Darkness! They shall be dead!"

The _Phoenix Hawk_ raised its arm and sprayed the Kuritans with .50 caliber machine gun slugs. The Kuritans screamed in agony as bullets pierced their body. Blood spurted in every direction. Civilian women screamed and covered their eyes, but the men and the troopers went wild.

"It is the will of God, brothers and sisters! We just send them back to hell! Come with me and fight the darkness! Come with me and we will light the universe!"

Once again, the people raised their arms and weapons and yelled in unison. The light mechs raised their arms and let loose streams of lasers through the air. The tracers of machine guns, cannons, and lasers illuminated the dark city. They all scream Jabez's name in unison.

Hayate put the crosshair on the _Phoenix Hawk's _head and waited until the lightning struck. The thunderbolt camouflaged his PPC stream as he punched the trigger. A blinding flash leapt from his right hand, followed by a thunderous sound of the thunderbolt. The head of the _Phoenix Hawk_ engulfed in flames, incinerating the eccentric spiritual leader. Burning debris mixed with raindrops, falling down on soldiers and civilians closer to the beheaded mech. Black smoke billowed to the sky, and the _Phoenix Hawk_ reeled down to the ground.

The light mechs and the tanks opened fire to every direction, lighting the town with bullet tracers and laser streams. The civilians ran in panic, running to every direction, seeking refuge. Some older civilians fell down and being trampled by running people and berserk soldiers. Groans and moans were heard together with screams and barking weapons.

Smiling in victory, Hayate scanned the enemy movement carefully. One _Stinger_ moved in his direction, firing off the wooded area wildly. But the heavy rain covered him from the enemy's radar. The _Stinger_ turned around, never once found his position. As Jabez's men scurried the vicinity to capture their leader's assassin, Hayate retreated slowly, then ran toward his pick up point. Mission accomplished.


	5. Chapter 5

**Raging Skies**

**Note:**This is another old one, loosely based on a mission in _MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries_. This story contains graphic violence. Readers' discretion is adviced.

_**Kell Hounds Field Airbase,  
**__**Luthien, Kagoshima Prefecture,  
**_**_Pesht Military District, DCMS,  
__January 5, 3052_**

"Alright, Harpys! Kuritan radars picked up several jumpships coming inbound. The vicious invaders who call themselves 'Smoke Jaguars' are ready to make a touchdown at Luthien. They are in position to fire up their dropships and land their battlemechs. Intel reports their battlemechs are vicious, far better than anything you've ever seen. So it is important that you cut them off before they land. I want you to hit the dropships as they descend. Destroy as many of them as possible! Our ground troops depend on you!"

Lieutenant Cliffton 'Sparrow' Spoon cracked his knuckles as his wing commander, Captain 'Buckhorn' Lardo, briefed the Golden Harpy squadron of the Kell Hounds about the arrival of the Smoke Jaguars Clan. These invaders, descendants of Alexander Kerensky that left the Inner Sphere twenty centuries ago, had launched a war to take Terra, the sacred birth place of humanity, from the Inner Sphere. Hundreds of worlds fell as the Clan's battlemechs mowed down every opposition they encountered. Nothing in the Inner Sphere could match the inhumane pace of the Clans as they drove closer to Terra. Only God knows how the Kuritans stopped them at Wolcott in 3050 and pushed them back to their space, leaving Wolcott dawdled in ruin.

Now the Clans had returned, meaner than ever. The Smoke Jaguars had reached Luthien, and even the mighty Draconis Combine would not stand against them. So Hanse Davion enlisted the Kell Hounds and Wolf Dragoons mercenary units to aid his once nemesis Theodore Kurita and the DCMS. Cliffton had heard some ill tales between the Kell Hounds and House Kurita in the past, but he didn't care. He was a mercenary, and he was paid to destroy the Clan invaders, so that was what he would do.

"DCMS had spread radar-jamming pods across the valley to confuse the Jaguars," Lardo highlighted a region on a map. "You will have to depend on your eyes. But that shouldn't be a problem, since you're shooting at dropships. A last quick tip: hit their engine exhausts. They are not armored. Questions? Good! Go to your fighters and kill yourself some Jaguars!"

It was still dark, the sun peeked behind the horizon, exposing just a slight part of its radiant light. Cliffton rallied with his friends, the pilots of Kell Hounds Golden Harpy Squadron, toward their fighters. He grabbed his helmet and walked toward his SF-1X _Starfire_ aerospace fighter. The 55-ton plane had been his pride and joy since he joined the Kell Hounds, sporting an UAC5 on the fuselage and a quad of medium lasers on the wing. One month of exercise was enough for Cliffton to kill 2 battlemechs, 4 tanks, and almost a dozen flying objects, including one _Stuka_ aerospace. He quickly became the newest hotshot in Golden Harpy squadron.

Cliffton climbed the ladder to his cockpit. When he sat at the command couch, he strapped himself and punched the start button. The turbines whirred as the computer bleeped as he checked his weapon loadout through his HUD. One hundred and twenty rounds of ultra-autocannon 5, coupled with 4 medium lasers on the wings encouraged him to smile. The firepower was enough to cripple a light mech, if he could get a nice shot. However, they were going after dropships whose armor level was a dozen times thicker than an assault battlemech, and Cliffton wondered if his fighter could do it before the dropship could hit him.

"Hey Sparrow," John 'Hawk' Gutierrez, his closest friend and rival ace in the squadron, called him from private channel. "This is it. We finally get a chance to face this Clan. I heard that they're really good shots. Are you up for the challenge?"

Cliffton smiled. Cliffton and John had been fighting together since Cliffton joined the Kell Hounds 2 years ago, and their competitive nature brought them to butt each other's heads on regular basis. One time they got into a fight and John punched him so hard his left eye was swollen shut for a week. But Cliffton trusted nobody in the sky but John, and he knew John did the same for him.

"Why shouldn't I?" Cliffton joked. "It's not like I'm not going back."

"Cocky bastard!" John scoffed. "This is Hawk, everything's normal, ready to go."

"This is Sparrow, all in green. Watch out Smoke Kitties, the Hounds are coming!"

"Alright, Golden Harpys, this is Buckhorn," Captain Lardo's voice crackled on the comlink. "Maintain vee-formation, course zero-seven-ninner, altitude 550 m at all time, use com link as emergency only. Pay close attention as we enter the drop zone, we don't know how awake they are. Keep the guns hot all time! And don't try to be heroes! The Kell Hound battlemech regiments are depending on us! Got that, Aces?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Alright! Let's get this thing over with!"

The Luthien sun was about to rise when the Golden Harpy squadron took off to the sky. Cliffton brought his _Starfire_ on the formation, next to John's fighter. He smiled at the thought of Hanse Davion willingly lending the Kell Hounds and Wolf Dragoons to the Kuritans, despite the bloody history between Davions and Kuritas for the last 30 years. Death brought people together.

The self-reflection ended abruptly when three red dots flashed on Cliffton's screen. "Buckhorn, this is Sparrow. I just made three Jaguars dropships! Repeat… three dropship Jaguars!"

"I read that, Sparrow. Golden Harpy, charge and smoke those dropships!"

Cliffton slammed his feet on the pedal and brought her fighter dart through the sky. Seconds later dozens of blue streaks raced all around him, illuminating the dimly lit cockpit. He jiggled the stick to elude return fires from the dropships. He uttered curses and placed the closest dropship on a bright reticule on his helmet, and the autocannon turret followed his lead. Cliffton randomized her move, up and down, left and right, crisscrossing a little, ducked then gained some altitude. The dropship showered his position with deadly fires ceaselessly.

Six hundred meters and Cliffton let out five rounds of cannon. The fiery traces blended with the furious beams from the dropship, raking the dropship in the front hull. Pieces of armor were thrown away to the air, but the dropship didn't feel a thing. Cliffton switched to his lasers and waited until he got to 200 meters. He squeezed the trigger and four brilliant streams leapt from their tubes, straight to the hull. The armor glowed in red, but they still didn't hurt the dropship.

"Concentrate fire on the nearest dropship and hit the exhausts!" Captain Lardo ordered.

Cliffton made a pass and turned to the dropship's engine. His cockpit rattled as his UAC5 blasted, spitting fire and cannon rounds. Pieces of titanium filled the sky as his cannon clobbered the engine exhaust of the dropship. The thin armor couldn't repel the powerful blast, and with all guns focusing on the exhaust, it crumbled in a brilliant flash. The dropships staggered and started to capsize.

"The other exhaust! Get the other exhaust!" the captain barked.

Cliffton glanced back, seeing the dropship began to drop to the ground, incinerating the low vegetation on the ground. He had to kill the dropship before it could get the mechs out. Cliffton made a tight turn to the left to line up with the other exhaust as the dropship hopelessly fired all weapons to ward off the attackers.

"This is your bust of life, Sparrow, if you can smack that one…" John quipped.

"Yeah! Get me some space, I promise you fireworks!"

Cliffton gained some altitude to get a lock, then let loose everything he got. Gauss slugs, autocannon rounds and missiles from the dropship zipped past his head, but he ignored it and kept shooting at the dropship's exhaust port. Autocannon bursts chewed up the exhaust layer by layer, turning the exhaust into jagged-edge scrap metal. John scored a direct hit to the exhaust, and the dropship burst up into a tower of fire.

"Score one!" Cliffton screamed. "Take that, Jaguars!"

"Good work people!" Lardo commented. "Get the others! They almost make it to the ground!"

Tongues of fire licked from Cliffton's nozzle as he floored his pedal. The remaining dropships intensified their attacks, hurling lasers and Gauss slugs at the attackers. One slug struck the slender body of a fighter, splattering armor and plexiglass into the air. The aerospace staggered hard to maintain balance before rolling back to its belly and fell to the ground with incredible speed. It spun around before ramming itself to the ground with a deafening roar.

Suddenly a blinding flash illuminated Cliffton's craft from his rear. Another _Starfire_ blazed in fire as missiles and PPC blitzed all around it. "I'm hit! I'm hit! I'm going…" Then static…

Cliffton glanced back, one of the dropship had made it to the ground. They bay door opened and a _Masakar_i, a _Mad Cat_, and two _Thors_ climbed down the ramp, with another _Thor_ waiting at the door.

"This is Sparrow, Jaguar mechs are coming out!" Cliffton reported. "One _Masakari_, one _Mad Cat_, and three _Thors_! More are coming!"

"Crap! Sparrow, Hawk, keep them busy! The rest of you, destroy the inbound dropship ASAP!"

Cliffton made a hard turn to the left when warning sign flashed. He banked hard to the left but three misiles slammed into his left. He inspected his craft, 4 points of armor at the left were gone. One more solid hit on his left and he was doomed.

"Sparrow, you OK?" John croaked.

"Just a scratch," Cliffton replied. "Come on, let's show those invaders what we're made of!"

Cliffton followed John's lead, rolling 30 degree to the right. Two laser beams missed him by a mere centimeter, but the heat was enough to scratch the canopy. He greeted his teeth, floored the pedal to bring his plane faster. Warning sign flashed and shrieked uncontrollably, telling him that he was being locked. Traces of missiles darted him as the _Mad Cat_ fired its launchers in unison. He released his decoys who attracted all missiles but two. Cliffton yanked the joystick as hard as he could. The _Starfire_ rolled 90 degree to the left, and quickly turned into another loop to the right. But the two missiles were too close to dodge. They slammed into the right side of the fuselage. The thin side armor couldn't hold the harassment. The plane went ablaze.

"Dammit I'm hit!" Clifton yelled. "I lost 50-percent power! Request immediate assistance!"

"Break off and return to base, Sparrow!" Lardo ordered. "We'll take it from here."

"Come on buddy, I'll escort you home," John lined up beside him. "Form up on my wing…"

"John, lookout of the Clan mechs!" Cliffton warned him. "These guys are good shooters!"

But it was too late. Two blue streaks rose up to the skym, and in one quick sequence John's _Starfire_ was set blazing. Cliffton looked up in horror as the _Masakari_ adjusted its torso as John's plane plunged to the ground.

"John! John! Buckhorn, Hawk is down! Repeat, Hawk is down!"

Cliffton flanked his _Starfire_, trying to fly away from the _Masakari's_ crosshair. But the Clan mech fired its PPC cannons, incinerating half of his plane. Cliffton knew he was done for. He grabbed his ejection lever and pulled it as hard as he could. His command couched catapulted him out of the flaming aircraft, and he watched as his blazing plane spiraled down and slammed into the ground, exploded into a fireball.

When he reached the ground, Cliffton saw the remaining members of the Golden Harpy Squadron managed to destroy the last dropship before it reached the ground. The one that landed, however, dropped its battlemechs. The Harpys fulfilled their objectives, but he knew it was only the beginning of Jaguar's assault. Whatever they did today, the ground would still belong to the Smoke Jaguars.

As the rest of the Harpys thundered high above his head, Cliffton stared blankly to the sky, the true last resting place of his best friend John Gutierrez. He couldn't believe that John was gone. If he could build a crypt in the sky for his best friend, he would. But now he had to live with only John's memory and legacy.

Lumbering Clan battlemechs came and circled him. The pilot of the _Masakari_ exited his mech and came toward him. He removed his neurohelmet, showing a squared-jawed face with Mohawk-style hair and sadistic smile. He looked at Cliffton in disgust, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, "My name is Star Captain Joshua of the Smoke Jaguars, 315th Beta Galaxy. I hereby claim you as my bondsman. You will serve the Smoke Jaguar under my direct command… _freebirth!_"

Cliffton knew that Joshua was the one that shot John and him down. Without thinking, he drew his side arm and pointed it at Joshua's midst, screaming, "Screw you!" He pulled the trigger, but the Clanner threw himself to the ground, dodging Cliffton's bullet. Mouth agape, Cliffton retraced the elusive Clanner but Joshua leapt and slammed his boot into Cliffton's chest. The pistol flew to the ground as Cliffton tattered.

"Come on, _freebirth!_ Fight me like a man!" Joshua taunted him as he moved in circle, throwing light jabs to Cliffton's head and body. Cliffton blocked one and dodged the other, but the third slammed into his forehead, making him dizzy. He cleared his eyes, but a savage hook from the Star Captain jerked his head. His jaw felt numb, and he crashed to the floor.

Wiping the blood that trickled from his temple, Cliffton got up, but Joshua launched a quick roundhouse kick to his chest. Cliffton felt his gastric fluid swelled up to his throat as he went down, hard, to the ground. His breath came in gasps, and his eyes fluttered. Painfully he tried to get up, but Joshua came and yanked his hair to the back while pinning him to the ground.

"We are on our way to Luthien City, where your _freebirth_ comrades will make their last stand," Joshua hissed. "We will slay them to the last man, and you will get a chance to watch them suffer. Then, when the Smoke Jaguars rise to become the _ilClan_, you will have your final fight. You will join your comrades in eternal disgrace!"

"Kill me, but somebody my kind will kill you!" Cliffton wheezed.

"I have no intention to kill you, _freebirth!_" Joshua said. "Not now, at least."

Joshua brought Cliffton up and sank his knee on Cliffton's gut. As Cliffton swayed, he fired up his uppercut. Cliffton felt his teeth rattled as the club-like arm mauled his jaw. He tumbled like a log, concisousness waning into a dark spot. He brought his body creeping on the ground, but Joshua pinned him with his boot.

"You _freebirths_ have no honor," the Clan mechwarrior teased him. "Your mate screamed like a girl on his way to the ground. And you deserve nothing better than him because you are all filth!"

The mentioning of John gave Cliffton a new vigor. He shot up and grabbed Joshua's leg, twisting it as hard as he could. A loud crack ensued, and the Clanner went down, groaning in agony. Cliffton picked up the closest thing within his reach – a stone – and lunged at the fallen Clanner.

"Never – call – John – a girl!" he panted as he hoisted the stone above his head. He brought it down and slammed it at Joshua's head. Blood splattered on his face, but Cliffton had not through yet. He slammed it again, and again, until he could not pick the stone because it was slick with blood. He panted heavily, gasping and retching over the lifeless body of the Clan mechwarrior.

When he regained his consciousness, he realized that about a dozen Clan mechwarriors had dismounted their mechs and boxed him, guns on their hands. Cliffton knew his life was numbered, so he just leaned back, waiting for his fate. But nobody came for him. Instead, the Clan mechwarriors collected the lifeless body of Star Captain Joshua and brought the body back toward the dropship. They never touched him.

Cliffton never knew why the Smoke Jaguars left him. It must have had something to do with Star Captain Joshua. Or the Clans might have had better things to do. He didn't know, and he didn't want to know. He was spared for whatever reason. Cliffton lied down on the ground, taking deep breaths as the sun of Luthien rose from the horizon, caressing his face with its warm strands.

THE END


	6. Chapter 6

**Rise of The Dark Prince**

**Note: **This is the first fanfic I've ever written. The original version was riddled with grammatical and technical errors, so I am glad to have a chance to edit it and post it on the net. My portrayal of the Word of Blake might be a little exaggerated, but I think I'll just post it as is. Nobody likes Blakist anyway (except _Master Corpral_, perhaps)

_**San Diego, California,  
**__**United States, Terra,  
**__**March 2, 3058**_

Mario Cruz clenched his grips on the simulator joystick, growling in frustration. The console beeped, signaling his mech was locked by a horde of missiles. The 17-year-old Mario yanked his joystick to the left, and the screen showed the image of his mech, a _Phoenix Hawk_, flinched to the left, missing a swarm of missiles just above his head. But a handful of them slammed into his torso, triggering a chain explosion that quaked his mech.

Mario tugged his joystick, steadying his mech while twisting to the right. His foe, a _Centurion_, charged him full speed. He must have thought that Mario got groggy by the attack, and he wanted to make the most of it. Mario knew that the _Centurion's_ AC10 could turn his torso armor into dust. He fired his jump jets and shot the _Centurion_ with his large laser. The crimson beam hit the _Centurion_ on the right torso, and its weakened armor could not stop Mario's well-placed salvo. The ammunition bins were incinerated, and the _Centurion_ exploded in a fireball.

"Ha ha! You suck, _Ese!_" Mario screamed in delight. "That makes it three times in a row!"

His friend, Humberto Frias, got out of his simulator swearing and grumbling. "What do you want me to do, huh? Worship you? Tell you that you are a mech god? Is that what you want?"

"Yeah, _amigo!_ Kiss my feet if you will," Mario teased his friend. "_Yo soy_ the god of mech!"

"It's just a game, _pendeja!_" Humberto grumbled. "I play with you no more!"

"It may be just a game, _amigo_, but I will be the greatest mechwarrior of all!" Mario smiled. "You'll see."

Suddenly a stream of lasers flashed through the air, followed by a series of explosions. Cars exploded on the street, and people screamed and ran in every direction. Siren blared and the earth quaked as building blasted one by one. The cops tried to calm people, but they ignore them and ran for their lives. The city turned into total chaos.

"_Espiritu Santo!_ What is happening?" Humberto panicked.

"I don't know, but it seems we are under attack!" Mario replied. "Look!"

A lance of VT-5M_ Vulcans_ emerged from behind a building, bearing the Sword of Blake emblem on their center torso. A _Vindicator_, two _Whitworths_, and 3 _Pegassus_ from Comstar engaged the Blakist mechs, while San Diego police tried to direct the civilians to get out of the area. The _Vulcans_ fired their lasers into the rear part of a _Pegassus_. Its armor melted, exposing the internal structure and ammunition storage. Before the pilot knew what hit them, a stream of emerald beam struck the stored ammo, igniting the tank and its crew into a bonfire.

"Word of Blake? What are they doing?" Mario mused.

"This is no time for thinking!" Humberto grabbed Mario's hand and hauled it. "We've gotta run!"

Another lance of _Vulcans_ descended rapidly. The _Vindicator_ pilot ordered the Comstar mechs and tanks to attack the Blakist mech, but they were outnumbered. The _Vulcans_ immediately unleashed a barrage of lasers. All but 3 hit the _Vindicator_ dead-on. The _Vindicator_ returned fire with its PPC, hitting the left torso of a _Vulcan_. One of the _Whitworths_ swung hard to the left, outflanking one _Vulcan_ and fired a stream of laser. It hit the _Vulcan_ in the midst. The _Vulcan_ didn't respond, rather firing its alpha strike at a _Peagasus_. The exhaust port of the hovertank was blown up. The _Pegassus_ reeled to a complete halt, but still manage to fire another round of missiles. The _Vulcan_ ducked hard to avoid this volley, but this was a big mistake since the _Whitworth_ was waiting for a good shot. Ten missiles slammed into the right torso, completely depleting the armor and wiping out the whole structure.

Meanwhile, Mario and Humberto were running with the people when a stray fire from a _Whitworth_ ravaged an apartment building on their left. Debris flew everywhere, raining down on civilians. The dust of cloud obscured the view, and Mario had to run blindly through the dust, bumping into other people. When the dust cleared, he was alone.

"Humberto!" he yelled. "Humberto, where are you?"

His voice was swallowed by siren and explosions. Mario looked back and saw the _Vindicator_ had managed to kill 2 Blakist _Vulcans_, but was fighting a losing battle. The Blakist mechs fired a barrage of lasers that chewed on its armor. Its heat level spiked up, its armor dripping like leaves, its PPC and LRM was not effective for close range combat. All it had was the medium and small lasers. The _Vulcans_ fired their lasers, and the _Vindicator_ crashed and burnt.

The other _Vulcans_ did not have any difficulties with the inexperienced _Whitworth_. Three good shots to the leg damaged the knee, making one _Whitworth_ badly limping, hindering its ability to dodge blows after blows. Soon the two _Whitworths_ fell, and the _Vulcans_ turned their guns at the civilians.

As screams rose up to fill the air, Mario ran as fast as he could. He hoped Humberto found a safe refuge somewhere. He ran until he arrived at Comstar HQ. Two mechs stood in front of the HQ, PXH-3S _Phoenix Hawk_ just like the one he played on the simulator a while ago, and the mechwarriors were climbing the ladder when Blakist helicopters arrived and strafed the pilots. The techs tried to ward off the choppers, but the choppers fired their missiles at the HQ, destroying most of the complex. Their machine guns rattled, killing the remaining techs and soldiers that tried to escape.

Mario cringed as he watched the gruesome image: blood splattered everywhere as bodies of Comstar operatives piled up on the front of Comstar's HQ. The Blakist helicopters turned their guns at the civilians, and Mario ran as fast as he could, before the chopper could get to him. Without thinking, he climbed the ladder to one of the _Phoenix Hawks_ and entered the cockpit. His heart pounded fast. He had never driven a real mech before, but he didn't know what else to do.

"Just like the simulator… just like the simulator…" he mumbled as he started the mech. He knew how to operate a _Phoenix Hawk_, because it was his favorit mech on the video game.

As soon as the mech started, Mario tugged the joystick and lined up with one of the choppers. He pressed the pulse laser trigger, and a burst of laser zipped from under the cockpit, straight to the engine of the chopper. In an instance the helicopter burst into a fireball. The other one turned its guns at Mario and let loose a barrage of missiles. Mario shielded his eyes as the missiles exploded all around the cockpit. He readjusted his crosshair, and when the locking sequence rang, he fired his pulse laser. The laser beams swarmed the helicopter, ripping it apart. It sputtered and crashed to the ground.

Before Mario could calm himself, his console beeped, and 1.5 seconds later two large lasers hit him on the right torso. Mario froze a moment, twisting his torso to find the shooters… and saw the Blakist _Vulcan_ lance. The Blakist tought Mario was a Comstar pilot, so they threw everything they had in a single blast. The _Phoenix Hawk_ jerked as millions of joule hit its torso, melting tons of armor.

"_Santa Maria, ruega por nosotros!_" Mario yelped as the _Phoenix Hawk_ careened. But hours of playing video games instinctively drove Mario to blast his jump jets, keeping the _Phoenix Hawk_ from falling. He put a _Vulcan_ on his crosshair and sent laser beams at the _Vulcan_. One of his laser burst smashed through the cockpit, instantly sending the pilot to hell. The _Vulcan_ tottered on its feet before slumping to the ground.

"_Ha! Vete al infierno, hijo de puta!_" Mario screamed in delight, and swung to the left to face the rest of the Blakist. The _Vulcan_ ganged up to incinerate Mario, firing lasers at the _Phoenix Hawk_. One laser hit Mario's back, depleting armor. One more laser hit its left arm, dangerously threatening to take it out. Mario fired his lasers. A quick barrage landed on the center torso of the _Vulcan_. Its body jerked backward, the torso ripped open exposing engines. Mario continued firing his laser at the opening, and a big explosion rattled the _Vulcan_. Arm hanging on its place by just a few strands of myomer, internal structure set on fire, heat rising up like hell.

As the flaming _Vulcan_ reeled down to the ground, the rest of the company split up, trying to catch Mario in a nasty crossfire. One moved to his left, the other to the right. Bringing down his large-barrel arm, Mario fired his alpha strike. The laser and machine gun slugs smashed through a knee of the _Vulcan_ on his left. It stopped moving painfully, trying to balance itself caused from losing some gyro. Its knee was a total mess.

The other _Vulcan_ triggered its jump jets, bringing the 40-ton mech up some 50 meters. It triggered all its weapons at point blank, bringing itself to a shut down while still flying midair. Mario used the superior agility of the _Phoenix Hawk_ to dodge the punishment, then lined up his guns while the _Vulcan_ landed. Mario fired his entire arsenal at the thin rear armor, and the explosion knocked the _Vulcan_ some 30 meters. It smashed to the ground in a big, deafening explosion.

"_Ay carramba…_" Mario sighed, amazed by the fact that he destroyed 4 enemy mechs in his first real combat. His breath was still raging when he inspected his mech. His center and right torso were blinking red, but all of his weapons were still working. His hands were still shaking when he reached for the comlink, putting the receiver on his ear.

"Unit 1-2-1, please respond," he heard garbled transmission on his comlink. "Unit 1-2-1, give me sitrep… Dammit Nochell, where are you?"

"Uhm… this is Mario Cruz, I am in front of Comstar HQ," Mario found the guts to respond.

"Who the hell is this? What are you doing in Unit 1-2-1?" the voice turned angry. "Where is Nochell?"

"Everybody's dead, Sir," Mario explained. "Word of Blake killed them before they get to the mechs."

"You better get out of there, son, because a lance of Blakists are heading your way…"

"I know, Sir. I killed them."

"You what?" the voice crackled. "Do you expect me to believe that you killed 4 Blake _Vulcans_ with a _Phoenix Hawk_? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"It is true, Sir! I am not lying!"

"Just sit tight there, Son! I'm sending a recovery team to get the _Phoenix Hawk_ units. Then get to the civilian dropship on the south gantries. We're leaving San Diego."

But Mario didn't want to leave the _Phoenix Hawk_ behind. The _Phoenix Hawk_ made him feel like a god, the feeling he could only feel on the video game console. He disconnected the comlink, then throttled up toward the east, hoping that he didn't see any Comstar or Blakist units along the way. He didn't know where to go, he just wanted to hang out with the mech as long as he could.

THE END


	7. Chapter 7

**To The Bitter End: Part I**

**Note:** This story is based on **_Mechwarrior 2_** by **_FASA_** and **_Activision_**. It is the prequel to _I, Kerensky_.

_**Webster, Sudeten,  
**_**_Jade Falcon Occupation Zone,  
__September 21, 3057_**

Through the canopy of her _Shadow Cat_, Mechwarrior Phaia of the Wolf Clan inspected the outskirt of Webster, a port city that housed several pumping stations for Jade Falcon garrisons. She could see three pumping stations, the closest one was barely 3 kilometers from his current position. Omnimechs and tanks, bearing the green Falcon emblems, patrolled in the surrounding area.

The Refusal War between Jade Falcon and Wolf Clans had gone on for months. Both sides experienced staggering losses, without the end in sight. Phaia, having completed Wolf blooding two months ago, was assigned to 2nd Wolf Lacers, Wolf Delta Galaxy. This transfer was originated by Ulric Kerensky, former Khan of Wolf Clan before being demoted due to allegation of genocide. Ulric saw no hope in the Refusal War, and he handpicked _ristars_ from all around Wolf Galaxies and attached them under Phelan Ward's Delta Galaxy, subsequently was to jump to Inner Sphere to preserve the best genetic material of the Wolf Clan. Phaia did not like this plan. She was a warrior, and her place was on the front line against the Jade Falcon. But as a new recruit, she had no choice but to follow Ulric's plan.

"Tango Leader, this is Tango One," Phaia's CO called the leader of 2nd Wolf Lancers. "We are in position."

"Tango One, your objective is the pumping station at Nav Alpha," the CO of 2nd Wolf Lancers replied. "Then lure the Jade Falcon defenders to your position. Once the defenders are on your tail, I will take out the Jade Falcon headquarter at Nav Beta. This cascaded attack will confuse the Jade Falcons, and give the rest of Delta Galaxy to escape Sudeten. Once the headquarter goes down, I will relieve you. Good luck, Tango One."

Phaia looked at her starmates that waited patiently in their mechs. His CO, Star Commander Darien Kerensky, stood proudly on the center in his _Executioner_. Darien was a veteran of Tukayyid Campaign where he served with the 13th Wolf Guards under Natasha Kerensky. Phaia had great respect toward her CO, and she was glad she was assigned as his subordinate. Slightly behind him was Mechwarrior Gould in his _Mad Dog_. Gould served as the fire support of the star. On her left flank stood two _Summoners_, piloted by Mechwarrior Rolf and Cirico. Rolf and Cirico were excellent brawlers.

"Phaia, take Gould and find a high ground and get ready to cover my back," Darien ordered. "Rolf, Cirico, form up on me. Our objective is the pumping station."

"Not to be disrespectful, Star Commander," Phaia said. "We do not know how many Jade Falcon garrisons on the city. It is unwise to divide our star. You can be greatly outnumbered once you engage the Jade Falcon, and I think you need me and Gould."

"We cannot rely on Tango Leader to come and rescue us, Phaia," Darien replied. "We have to deal with the Falcon's garrisons, and I need you as my back up if things turn to the worst. I cannot trust anyone but you."

"_Aff_, Star Commander," Phaia conceded. "Gould, form up on my lead."

As the rest of the star throttled up toward the pumping station, Phaia brought her _Shadow Cat_ to find an unobstructed view over the plain. The medium mech had been her closest friend since she was assigned to it. Phaia was a fine sniper, and nobody in 2nd Wolf Lancers could use a Gauss Rifle as well as Phaia. She knew that Darien put her on the high ground because of her skill in her _Shadow Cat_, but sometimes she wished she could fight alongside her star mates. She wondered what it was like to brawl with the Jade Falcon scums together with her star mates that she greatly respected.

The three Wolf mechs got closer to the pumping station, and two _Novas_ sprung from behind a building, hurling a dozen laser streams at Darien, Rolf and Cirico. Darien issued a 'fire at will' and fired his lasers at one _Nova_. It was caught by surprise, unable to return fire as the lasers took away a ton of armor on its right torso. The _Nova_ quickly regained balance and returned fire, but the rushed attack missed Darien by a meter. Meanwhile, Rolf butchered the other _Nova_ while Cirico watched from the distance. Its torso was torn apart, smoke and sparks burst out uncontrollably. Rolf moved in circle, stabbing the hapless _Nova_ from every direction. He must be caught by panic. A burst of missiles threw away the _Nova's_ armor on its leg, then a series of laser beams finish up what was left. The _Nova_ crashed and burnt to the ground.

"Target destroyed," Rolf stated the obvious. "Looks like they were no higher than second-rated warriors."

"Ground targets are heading our way," Cirico added, pointing at several tanks rolling toward their position.

"Take them out, Cirico," Darien ordered, finishing up with the _Nova_.

"_Aff_," Cirico replied and rushed toward the tanks. Cannons barked and lasers blazed as the tanks fired everything they had at Cirico's _Summoner_. But Cirico's _Summoner_ sent ten-pack missiles towards the tank star.

Burning debris from blasted tanks rained down like hail storm as the closest tank exploded. Cirico gunned his engine and changed direction, making a tight turn to the left as another stream of laser hit his left arm. Cirico raised his arm and shot his PPC at another tank and his missiles at another. All of them connected, making the tanks explode. Multiple orange flash glares, smoke and fire sparked, but the rest of the tank just would not give up.

"Rolf, bring down the pumping station," Darien said while pressing his laser trigger. Twin strands of beam leapt from his torso and singed a tank. He raised his right arm and pressed the trigger; another tank blew up. As Rolf rushed toward the station, Darien blasted his left cannon at another tank. The fragmented munitions wrecked the hull of the tank and torched the ammunition storage. As the last tank exploded, Rolf moved toward the pumping station unabated. He fired his weapons in unison, and the pumping station erupted. Fire engulfed the station, and smoke rose to the sky, covering the sun momentarily.

"Target destroyed," Rolf reported. "Star Commander, a Jade Falcon light star is approaching from the north, two _Firemoths_, two _Kit Foxs_, and a _Nova_. A heavy binary is coming from the west, consisting of _Mad Dogs_ and _Hellbringers_. I think they have made us."

"Regroup on me," Darien replied. "Hit the light mechs while I take care of the _Nova_. Destroy them quickly before the heavy binary arrive, then retreat to Phaia's position. Phaia, Gould, get ready for battle."

"_Aff_, lead!" Phaia replied, calibrating her targeting system and arming her Gauss Rifle. She put her mech on a crouch behind a thick rock, and rested her Gauss Rifle on the side of the rock for stability. On her left side Gould readied the twin 20-pack missile launchers in his _Mad Dog_. Clan rarely used artillery support, but Darien insisted that Gould used his expertise in long-range battery, resulting in great successes.

The light star moved quickly while the heavy binary rushed as fast as they could. The faster _Firemoths_ and _Kit Foxes_ sprinted with great speed; several more blocks and they would emerge from the building. The Jade Falcon _Firemoths_ were the first to clear the building, and immediately engaged Rolf and Cirico. Missiles, lasers, and PPC bolts swarmed the light mechs. Most of them slammed into the buildings, scattering dust and hampering visions. But the lasers and PPC bolts found their marks. Three laser bolts and a PPC stream slammed into the left torso of a _Firemoth_. The light mech staggered and twisted by the impact. The energy bolts pierced the armor as if it did not exist, and quickly wrecked the internal structure just next to the engine. Its left arm was ripped off its socket, flying away some 20 meters and slamming into a building. The second _Firemoth_ was rocked by a series of missiles and laser. Its cockpit cracked.

As the _Firemoths_ returns fire, Darien gunned his engine and slipped past the two _Kit Foxes_, straight toward the _Nova_. The Nova took off to the sky, but Darien trailed it and hit it with his lasers. Pierced armor rained down to every direction. The Nova jerked back and forth in the air, but managed to fire its lasers. Darien ducked, missing the laser beams, then fired his guns before the _Nova_ landed. Three consecutive blasts ripped the _Nova's_ torso from inside. The _Nova_ lost balance and skidded to the ground. Cables and myomer strands hung out like guts from an open stomach as Darien's shot gutted the Jade Falcon mech. Darien fired again, and two laser beams crunched the _Nova_ to the bone. The _Nova_ staggered heavily, then fell to its side.

"Rolf, Cirico… what is your status?" Darien yelled.

"First _Firemoth_ had been dispatched, the second one is escaping," Cirico reported. "We are working on the _Kit Foxes_."

"Keep up the pace!" Darien turned back toward his comrades. "The heavy binary is almost here!"

Rolf raised both hands and sprayed one _Kit Fox_ with lasers and missiles. The missiles ripped open its shoulder, exposing the arm joints. The laser beams missed its mark. The _Kit Fox_ swung around, left torso blown apart, firing all its guns towards Rolf's _Summoner_. Missiles and lasers exploded around the _Summoner_, chipping the armor away. Rolf retaliated by blasting the omnimech by another alpha strike. Seven missiles crushed into the internal structure, setting the mech on fire. Meanwhile, Cirico fired an alpha strike at the other _Kit Fox_. The lightly armored omnimech was caught fire immediately. Two lasers speared into its chest, cutting the line from the cockpit to the actuators. The arm was ripped apart, hanging on the socket by just several strands of myomer.

"Disengage enemies and retreat to Phaia!" Darien ordered.

Rolf and Cirico sprinted toward where they came from, leaving the _Kit Foxes_, while Darien followed them. The first 2 _Mad Dogs_ cleared the buildings and sprayed the _Executioner_ with some 40 missiles. It staggered hard, twisting its torso and swayed like a log. More Jade Falcons arrived and fired their missiles at Darien's thin rear armor. The _Executioner_ was soon caught fire, but Darien kept it steady and running.

"Jade Falcons on target," Phaia declared, putting her crosshair on the center torso of a _Mad Dog_. "Permission to engage, Commander."

"_Aff!_" Darien replied in relieved. "Get them off my back!"

Phaia fired off her Gauss Rifle, bashing the center torso of the closest _Mad Dog_. Chunks of armor and structure flew away in every direction as the omnimech jerked behind, trying hard to regain balance. The _Mad Dog_ sent missiles to Phaia's position, but Phaia was covered with thick piles of rock. Phaia winced and yanked her joystick backward, bringing her _Shadow Cat_ leaned backward as a cloud of dust flew over her cockpit. She realigned her focus and punched the trigger, hitting the _Mad Dog_ dead center. The Gauss shell exploded on the torso, pushing the Jade Falcon mech back several meters before falling flat on its back.

As the _Mad Dog_ struggled to get up, Phaia watched Darien fighting another _Mad Dog_. The Jade Falcon fired off, twenty missiles and several streaks of laser cut a deep gash on the _Executioner's_ leg. Darien pivoted, but the damage on his leg slowed him down. The _Mad Dog _smelled blood, and fired again. Armor flew to every direction as the lasers and missiles carved big holes on the _Executioner's_ torso, turning the armor into bubbling goo dripping like hot blood. Darien returned fire with his lasers, but his shot went wide because his mech lost its balance. The _Mad Dog _continued its assault, but soon Darien's cannons were ready. With a grunt Darien fired his autocannons. The _Mad Dog_ rocked back and forth, armor zipping to every direction. One fragmented round hit its left arm, burrying itself deep into the myomer. The _Mad Dog_ twisted, then stumbled forward.

Meanwhile, Phaia's target had gotten up and tried to return fire, but again the missiles hit Phaia's cover. Phaia put her crosshair squarely on the _Mad Dog's_ torso and fired. Bright blinding flashes illuminated the plain as the _Mad Dog's_ chest tore open, revealing some mechanisms that start burning. Burning debris rained down, and the _Mad Dog_ was twisted several times before crashed to the ground. The Jade Falcon mech blew up in a huge fireball.

Switching to an unscratched _Hellbringer_, Phaia observed the rest of her team. Gould scored some well-placed salvo into a _Hellbringer's_ left torso, peeling off the armor and incinerating the magazines. Dozens of consecutive eruptions ripped the Jade Falcon mech from inside. Rolf engaged another _Hellbringer_ in a death grip, while Cirico sent a barrage of PPC and missiles at a _Mad Dog_. The _Mad Dog_ was knocked back by the impact, torso ripped open, but stood back for more punishment. Cirico gunned his jump jets, flying some 30 meters forward, and fired his lasers. The _Mad Dog_ rocked backwards again, its arm dangled on to the torso by a few strands of myomer.

Phaia heard the clang of the Gauss slug into the chamber, then fired her rifle at the _Hellbringer_. The Gauss slug speared the _Hellbringer's_ torso. The _Hellbringer_ staggered by the impact, but managed to return fire. PPC bolts swerved above Phaia's head, but did no harm nonetheless. Phaia waited until her Gauss Rifle recycled, then let loose her second attack. Burning armor twirled up along with smoke as the _Hellbringer_ tottered. It charged Phaia's position, firing its guns wildly in a blind hope that one of them would eventually hit Phaia.

"Stupid damn Falcon," Phaia grumbled as she waited for her Gauss Rifle to get ready. As soon as she heard the sound, she fired her rifle. The slug landed on the torso, peeling off the remaining armor and burning the myomer. The _Hellbringer_ rocked, then stumbled forward.

Meanwhile, Darien finished up his second kill and moved to the third, another _Hellbringer_. Rolf and Cirico scored one kill each, and Gould was finishing up his second, the last _Mad Dog_. Knowing that they were fighting a star with higher quality, the Jade Falcon retreated, leaving the Wolf mechs alone. Darien's _Executioner_ and the two _Summoners_ belonged to Rolf and Cirico were battered and smoking, but they were intact and victorious.

"The Jade Falcon had retreated, Commander," Phaia stated. "We have beaten their defending force."

"_Seyla_," Darien replied. "Tango Leader, this is Tango One. Jade Falcon garrisons had been defeated. Request advice for our next move."

Darien waited a full minute, but the answer from Tango Leader never came.

"Tango Leader, do you read me?" Darien tried again. "Tango Leader, this is Tango One…"

"Wolf bastards!" suddenly somebody spoke on the comlink. "This is Star Colonel Jerome Helmer, commanding officer of Jade Falcon Guards, Gamma Galaxy. You attacked us with dishonorable tactic. State your name and rank before I crush you beneath my _talons!_"

"This is Star Commander Darien Kerensky, 2nd Wolf Lancers, Wolf Delta Galaxy," Darien replied. "We are at war, Star Colonel. Formality is for our Khans. We just do the fighting."

"Your 2nd Wolf Lancers had been destroyed," Jerome chuckled. "There is nothing more for you to fight. Now lay down your weapons and surrender, or fight me in a Trial of Possession over Webster."

"I will meet you on the battlefield, Star Colonel," Darien boldly answered Jerome's challenge. "I bid my star against a trinary of yours, but I will need _safcon_ for repair and rearm of my mechs."

"For a Star Commander, you are very bold," Jerome said. "Fine, your support vehicles will not be harmed. Then I will see you in battle. But keep one thing in mind, Wolf scumbag: If you think you can outsmart me the way you outsmart my men, you are gravely mistaken." With that, Jerome cut off the comlink.

"Star Commander, you cannot do this!" Phaia protested. "A star against a trinary?"

"We have to give time to Delta Galaxy to leave the planet," Darien explained. "If we retreat now, Jerome will bring his Cluster to attack our position at Dargoth Plain. Casualties will be high, and good genetic materials will be wasted. We have to hold Jerome at Webster as long as we can."

"But can we do it? Remember, these Falcons are different than the garrison mechs we beat five minutes ago. These are the Falcon Guards, and they just destroyed an entire Cluster of the 2nd Wolf Lancers!"

"It seems that you start losing faith in me, Phaia," Darien sighed. "Have I done anything but in you?"

"I am sorry," Phaia receded. "It is not my place to question your plan."

"Then follow me. We have a lot of planning to do."

**To be Continued**


	8. Chapter 8

**To The Bitter End  
****Part II**

_**Webster, Sudeten,  
**__**Jade Falcon Occupation Zone,  
**__**October 1, 3057**_

Phaia felt the tension on her stomach as she navigated her _Shadow Cat_ among the buildings of Webster. The 45-ton omnimech responded quickly to her demand. Covering her mech under a ruble, she went passive sensor and waited patiently, watching the road in front of her for incoming enemies.

The Trial of Possession with the Jade Falcon trinary had gone almost 2 weeks. At first Phaia was skeptical about the result of this trial. Her star was bruised and battered, and the fresh trinary of the elite Jade Falcon Guards were eager to finish them so they could drive toward Dargoth Plain to disrupt Phelan Ward's evacuation plan. But under the cunning strategy of Star Commander Darien Kerensky, the Wolves exceeded everybody's expectation, including Phaia. Darien refused to fight the Falcons head on, instead he used an un-Clan-like guerilla tactic that bled the Jade Falcon trinary bit by bit. The Falcons called this tactic _dezgra_, but the Wolves kept on their strategy, killing almost half of Falcon trinary in exchange to zero casualties.

Somewhat Phaia agreed with the Jade Falcons. She felt that Darien's guerilla tactic resembled Inner Sphere fighting scheme, something she despised as a _trueborn_ warrior. Perhaps Darien hung out too much with Natasha Kerensky, an unrivaled mechwarrior but widely hated _freeborn_, who spent years living in the Inner Sphere. But Darien carried this tactic with great success, so Phaia did not have anything to complain about.

"Phaia, get ready," Darien's voice crackled on the comlink. "We managed to cut off two _Timber Wolves_ from Jade Falcons trinary. They are heading your way. Destroy one quickly then retreat to Nav Point Epsilon. Gould is waiting there to assist you."

"_Aff_, Commander," Phaia replied. Once again her wish to do a close-quarter combat was denied. She positioned her mech behind a wrecked building, waiting for the _Timber Wolves_ to pass by. Fifteen minutes later, the Jade Falcon _Timber Wolves_ walked toward her position. Their long-range radars swept the area. They closed in, 1 kilometer ahead. Suddenly they stopped, torso twisted to every direction. Phaia held her breath and put her crosshair on the closest _Timber Wolf_. The Jade Falcons circled around within 800 meters. Phaia grazed the Gauss trigger with her thumb and waited for the Jade Falcons to come closer.

As the Jade Falcons reached 500 meters, Phaia mashed her trigger. The nickel-ferrous slug sped in the air and blasted armor on the front torso. Chunks of armor flew over a wide area. The _Timber Wolf_ jolted, arms and legs flailed to maintain balance. The other mech returned fire, lasers and missiles flew through the air and struck the concrete rubble in front of Phaia. Cloud of dust rose up to the sky, nevertheless Phaia was unharmed.

Phaia ducked under the concrete debris, waiting until her Gauss rifle recycled, then hit her jump jets. She flew on the air, and then fired her Gauss gun. Her Gauss slug ate up the armor plate of the _Timber Wolf_, weakened by her previous shot, and thrust deep into the myomer. The omnimech came to a halt, but manage to return fire. Laser beams hit her on the chest, melting half a ton of armor. Phaia grimaced, then brought her mech to crouch when more laser and missiles flew in the air. The return fire blasted the rubble, but Phaia was safe.

Phaia knew that her hiding place would soon crumble, so she left her refuge and bolted toward another building. The _Timber Wolves_ peppered her position with murderous missiles and laser beams, but Phaia kept her low profile, taking cover behind destroyed buildings until her Gauss rifle was ready. She found a small clearing on a pile of debris, then locked on the _Timber Wolf_ that she shot a minute ago. She quickly put her crosshair on the blinking red center torso of the Jade Falcon, then thumbed her trigger.

The Gauss slug zipped through the air, struck the _Timber Wolf_ right where the armor was at the lowest. It jerked behind, taking several steps backwards. The Gauss slug pulled several cracks on its torso. Armor chunks flew to every direction as sparks burst from the crack. But the Jade Falcon kept standing, staggering on its wobbly feet. Phaia leapt from her cover and charged the mangled _Timber Wolf_, firin her lasers as soon as they came into range. The beam strands hit the _Timber Wolf_ in the midst, incinerating the generator. A blinding explosion split the Jade Falcon mech in two, and it crashed to the ground.

The other _Timber Wolf_ fired its entire weapons at Phaia, but she pushed her throttle to maximum, bringing her _Shadow Cat_ running under the barrage. Her blood boiled; having killed a mech 30 tons heavier than her _Shadow Cat_ gave her considerable confidence. She felt that she could take on the other Timber Wolf without the help of her star mates. But she was a soldier, and it was a soldier's responsibility to follow order. So she ran as fast as she could, taking the _Timber Wolf_ to Gould's line of fire.

Driven by retaliation, the _Timber Wolf_ followed Phaia, taking pot shots whenever possible. Dozens of lasers and machine gun bullets ricocheted around Phaia, some connected to her rear armor, digging some holes but fails to do more damage. Phaia crisscrossed her path, hiding from building to building, avoiding the Jade Falcon's deadly fire. The proximity alarm rang, and a couple missiles struck her left torso. The explosion twisted her mech to the right, but Phaia kept it on course, never a second trying to return fire.

Three minutes later, dozens of missiles leapt from behind a building, raining down on the _Timber Wolf_. Tongues of fires licked every inch of its torso as the Timber Wolf wobbled. But the Jade Falcon fought valiantly, it tracked down Gould that was hiding behind a building and returned fire with deadly precision. Four beam lances hit Gould's _Mad Dog_, melting a ton of armor on the front. Gould sent a stream of medium lasers, all hit the right arm of the _Timber Wolf_. The Jade Falcon twisted and sent a stream of missiles, connecting right to Gould's chest. Splinters of armor sprayed into the sky as the _Mad Dog_ jerked backward, its torso armor was scrapped into metal junk. Gould sent his answer; a stream of 40 missiles enveloped the Jade Falcon.  
Phaia climbed a pile of debris and watched Gould and the Jade Falcon _Timber Wolf_ exchanged missiles and lasers. Honor prevented her from joining the battle, so she could only watch as her star mates fought the Jade Falcon. Gould and the Jade Falcon fired at each other using their long-range missiles to the point that they were both burning and smoking. But the _Timber Wolf_ had spent half of its missiles to shoot Phaia down with no effect. Soon enough its launchers ceased firing, and it desperately fired its lasers at Gould. Heat built up quickly, and soon the _Timber Wolf_ found itself overheating.

Gould used this opportunity to turn the tide of the battle. He alternated between lasers and missiles to keep his mech cool, while dancing around the Jade Falcon to prevent it from shooting back. Dozens of missiles struck to the arms, sending armor chunks flying to the sky. The laser strands burird themselves deep into the reloading mechanism, one hit the reloading mechanism. Five consecutive explosions rocked the _Timber Wolf_ as it was thrown off its feet. Its left arm was completely wrecked. Gould fired all lasers into its torso, melting armor into bubbling goo, exposing its internal structure. The Jade Falcon, tried to return fire, but the lasers missed Gould by half a meter. Gould sent another set of missiles to its armorless torso. The missiles cut the power line from the reactor, destroying the engine and setting the gyro on fire. The _Timber Wolf_ blew up instantly.

"Tango Three to Tango One," Phaia reported. "_Timber Wolves_ are destroyed. Tango Four needs immediate repair and reload."

"Acknowledged, Tango Three," Darien replied. "Proceed to Nav Point Zeta for repair. Good job."

Phaia's lips curled into a smile as she guided her _Shadow Cat_ to Nav Point Zeta. She may not get a chance to fight like other mechwarrior, but beating the Jade Falcon made her day. Nothing felt more satisfying than the realization that, in the end, Wolf Clan would emerge victor of the Refusal War. And Phaia was a part of it.

_**

* * *

Webster, Sudeten,  
**__**Jade Falcon Occupation Zone,  
**__**October 2, 3057**_

Mechwarrior Phaia was drifting off to sleep when Rolf slapped her arm. Her eyes quickly widened as she grabbed her knife in reflex, but Rolf quickly moved out of harm before she could do damage.

"We are being hailed," Rolf explained. "Star Colonel Jerome Helmer is calling for another _batchall_. This could be the end of our campaign in Webster. If Star Commander Darien can beat Helmer, Webster is ours."

"Wait," Phaia scrubbed her eyes. "Helmer is issuing a duel?"

"_Aff_, a duel. Commander versus commander. We are not going to fight anymore, not in Webster. Anyway, why are you not excited?"

"Excited?" Phaia jumped off the bed. "This could be a trap. Jade Falcon still occupies Webster but is increasingly desperate. Accepting a _batchall_ in Jade Falcon home is close to suicide. I have to talk to him."

Phaia stormed out of her tent, rushing toward the MFB that was repairing Darien's _Executioner_. The Star Commander was talking to the technicians when Phaia pushed the tech out of her way. She gave Darien a quick salute, then spoke before Darien could asked her about her weird behavior, "Commander, I heard about the _batchall_ with Star Colonel Helmer."

"_Aff_, Phaia, it is done," Darien said. "The new Trial of Possession for Webster is in 48 hours. We will have no skirmishes before then, so you can relax."

"I must question your decision, Commander," Phaia boldly raised her voice. "Helmer still owns Webster, but we are winning the battle. The Jade Falcons are desperate, and they will do whatever they can to grasp Webster. I have a bad feeling about this. What if they play it dirty, Commander? We know Jerome Helmer's reputation as a sadistic commander. He will not let you destroy his pride."

"You are right," Darien replied. "That is why I am accepting this duel. When the sun comes up tomorrow, I want you to lead Rolf, Gould, Cirico and the field repair team to regroup with saKhan Phelan at Dargoth Plain. I will hold Helmer as long as I can. Should I not survive, I want you to take the Trial of Position to replace me as the star leader. You have served me well, Phaia. It is time for you to shine."

Phaia realized that it was, indeed, a suicide. Star Commander Darien did not intend to go back. He knew what the Jade Falcon could do to him, but he did it anyway because he wanted to conserve as much assets as possible. Phaia had always respected her commander's order, but this was an order she could not carry.

"With all due respect, Commander, I will not do it."

"That is not a request, Phaia," Darien's voice turned firm. "That is an order."

"I know, Commander, but I will not do it. Neither will Rolf, Gould, and Cirico. We will not leave you, not when we know that you are fighting alone. You can motion for Trial of Grievance later, but you have to do it for all of us. We are in this war together, and we will finish it together, no matter how long we have to stand by your side to the bitter end."

Darien took a long pause to look at Phaia, and realized that Phaia would not back down. He exhaled sharply, then said, "Then use the 48 hours to rejuvenate. You never know when you need it."

"That I can do, Commander," Phaia smiled and snapped a salute, then went back to her tent.


	9. Chapter 9

**To The Bitter End  
Part III**

_**Webster, Sudeten,  
**__**Jade Falcon Occupation Zone,  
**__**October 4, 3057**_

Mechwarrior Phaia watched closely as Star Commander Darien Kerensky steered his _Executioner_ toward the center of the circle of equal. One the other end stood Star Colonel Jerome Helmer in his _Dire Wolf_. The epitome of assault, the green mech was in contrast with the slim _Executioner_. It sported two PPC, two ER Large Laser, two UAC5's, and one LRM20. Phaia thought the Jade Falcon must have been desperate that they hang their entire objective on a duel, but Darien was even crazier fighting a _Dire Wolf_ head to head. But Phaia believed that her commander had a plan. He always had.

The rest of the Jade Falcon mechs formed half a circle behind the _Dire Wolf_, just on the edge of the circle of equal. The Jade Falcon had lost half of their mechs, but they still outnumbered the Wolves. Phaia positioned herself behind the _Executioner_, while Rolf, Gould and Cirico dispersed themselves along the edge of the circle of equal, showing support for their commander.

"Let this be the end of our struggle, Wolf scum," Jerome Helmer spoke through general frequency. "I will kill you and drag your body behind my mech!"

"I believe you will," Darien responded. "If you can hit me before I hit you."

"Your dishonorable tactic will not work for me! Prepare to die!"

Jerome opened the fight. A stream of missiles leapt from his launcher and hit Darien's mech, sending fiery chunks of parts all over the place. Tongues of fire burst as the _Executioner_ was almost knocked down. Jerome blasted his PPCs; two streams of pure energy illuminated the dark environment of the city. One of the bolts grazed the _Executioner_ on the left shoulder. Hot molten armor sprayed to a wide area as the lanky red mech tottered on its heels.

"Feeling death already?" Jerome taunted Darien. "It should be over soon."

"Overconfidence will be the death of you," Darien hissed in response. "My turn!"

Darien triggered his LBX20 cannons, the heavy slug screamed through the air, and punched the _Dire Wolf_ right in the midst. At such close range, the LBX slugs sported such a great force that the _Dire Wolf_ was jerked backward. The front armor cracked at several places, while a ton of armor geysered in the air. Darien followed up by his lasers, exploiting the cracks, boiling up more armor and setting the myomer bundles on fire. The 100-ton omnimech was rocked back and forth.

Jerome quickly regained balance and fired his lasers in retaliation, but Darien used the _Executioner's_ agility to swing around the _Dire Wolf_, outside Jerome's firing arc. Jerome twisted wildly, trying to get Darien into his crosshair. But his _Dire Wolf_ was not as swift as Darien's _Executioner_. Darien stayed outside Jerome's firing arc, then fired his LBX cannons at the left torso. The _Dire Wolf_ staggered violently as smoke twirled up from the wound. One LBX slug ripped the armor open, setting up minor fire that threatened the ammunition storage for the UAC5.

Mad and nervous, Jerome pivoted and swiveled his torso as far as he could, hoping to get Darien into his crosshair. But Darien stayed on his blind spot, sending two emerald bolts to Jerome's left torso. The lasers ripped open its right torso, burning myomer and power line from the main reactor. Five consecutive explosions erupted on its left torso, digging deep into its structure. As soon as the LBX cannon recycled, Darien fired them at the mauled torso. The fragmented slugs hit the depleted area, digging deep into the internal structure and incinerating the engine. Blue mist spewed as the entire torso erupted, taking the left arm with it.

As the _Dire Wolf_ staggered hard, Darien switched to Jerome's right torso. Jerome flailed his right arm wildly in a vain attempt to catch Darien with his PPC. But Darien stayed outside Jerome's firing arc and sank to good laser hits on the right torso. Molten armor dripped to the ground as the torso glowed. Darien proceeded with his LBX cannons, and the slugs wiped out the molten metal, ripping the torso open and exposing internal structures to the air. Steam hissed and fire sparked, setting the 100-ton mech into a flame tower.

"_Stravag!_ Fight me like a man, Wolf scumbag!" Jerome shouted through the comlink.

"It seems that you offered me nothing more than a talk, Star Colonel Helmer," Darien taunted back. "I am offering you _hegira_. Accept your loss and retreat from Webster."

"Never!" Jerome reversed the throttle and twisted to the other direction. But Darien was ready. When Jerome found his target, Darien hit his alpha strike. Two emerald streams of laser hit its right torso, just under the UAC5, melting the remaining armor. The LBX slugs hit the stripped torso, frying the myomer and bearing joints, down to the engine. The arm flew several hundred meters as the torso blew up, leaving a blazing port on the shoulder.

"My offer stands, Star Colonel," Darien spoke. "Retreat in honor or die. Either way, Webster belongs to the Wolf."

"Do you really think that a rookie like you can beat me?" Jerome roared. "Falcon Guards! Kill the Wolf!"

Phaia could not believe her eyes when lasers and missiles blasted from the rest of the Jade Falcon, showering the _Executioner_ from every direction. Duelling warriors were bounded by _Zellbrigen_, and Jerome Helmer dismissed it as if it had never existed. Her blood boiled, and she was close to hitting Jerome with her Gauss rifle when she realized that her commander was in real trouble. Burning chunks of armor scattered into the air as the _Executioner_ was lathered with fire. It staggered heavily under the onslaught; arms flying with fire, spark and smoke. The Jade Falcon mechs greedily entered the circle of equal and grilled the _Executioner_ from every direction.

Phaia blasted her jump jets, screaming, "Falcon _stravags!_ Wolves, protect the commander!"

Rolf, Gould and Cirico launched themselves into the fray. Phaia hit one _Timber Wolf_ with her Gauss rifle, throwing off its aim as it fired its missiles. The _Timber Wolf_ twisted, and the missiles slammed into an empty building, setting off major fire. Phaia let loose her lasers to the off-balance omnimech, sending it staggering on its heels. But one _Summoner_ sprayed her _Shadow Cat_ with PPC and missiles. Phaia winced as the PPC hit her on the left torso, frying the electronics. She turned to face the _Summoner_ when Rolf guided his own _Summoner_ to go head to head with Jade Falcon, covering both Phaia and Darien. The Jade Falcon Timber Wolf and Summoner ganged up on Rolf. The _Summoner_ takes enormous hits, but Rolf still fought valiantly. He fired off his PPC at the _Timber Wolf_, but the Jade Falcon was quick enough to duck, and sent its answer to that challenge. Rolf was rocked backward several meters, his chest ripped open by the impact of the missiles and lasers.

"Phaia, what are you doing?" Darien crackled on the comlink. "Get everybody out of here!"

"It seems that the Falcons shed their honor in exchange of victory, Sir," Phaia replied. "Retreat to Dargoth Plain. We need you battleROM as a proof of what the Jade Falcons did."

"There is no time for battleROM, Phaia. Get out of here!"

"Our fate is as good as yours, Star Commander," Phaia reaffirmed her loyalty. "You go, we go."

On the other part, Cirico traded fire with a _Hellbringer_ and a _Summoner_. He sacked two PPC hits to the _Hellbringer's _left arm, but receiving multiple lasers on his right torso. He fired his missiles with deadly accuracy, all of them connected to the _Hellbringer's_ chest. They wiped the remaining armor on its chest, exposing the internal structure and cables. The _Hellbringer_ retaliates, firing all it got left. Cirico's torso was consumed by fire when lasers and missiles incinerated its structure. Risking shut down, he blasted his PPC, sending a stream of blue energy toward the stripped _Hellbringer_. The hot streams set the magazines on fire, and the _Hellbringer_ erupted in a huge, orange fireball. Cirico twisted his torso to make the last stand, but the Jade Falcon _Summoner_ was locking on him. The last thing he saw was a hot, fast blue lightning flying towards his cockpit.

The sudden intrusion by the Wolves broke the Jade Falcon's formation. Phaia fought valiantly, despite being ganged up by a _Timber Wolf_ and a _Summoner_. Burning armor sprayed over a wide area as the _Timber Wolf's_ lasers caught Phaia on her right torso. She twisted and fired off her Gauss gun. The slug tore through the thinned torso of the _Timber Wolf_, burrying itself in the internal structure. Phaia screamed then sprayed the 75-ton omnimech with her lasers, right where her Gauss slug hit it a moment ago. Sparks burst from the wound as Phaia's lasers cut off several power cords.

Phaia always wanted to fight like normal mechwarriors. She was wondering how it felt to see the enemy in the eye as she blasted him away with her guns. She had this chance now, but it was nothing like she expected. It was quick and brutal, and the adrenaline rush hindered her from taking good aim, something that she was famous for. Her star commander was wise putting him as a sniper. Her unconventional role on Darien's star gave her a chance to push herself over the limit.

But now she had no choice. As the _Timber Wolf_ tried to regain its footing, Phaia switched to the _Summoner_ but it already fired its alpha strike at Phaia. The entire cockpit trembled as the alpha strike burnt everything, layer by layer, piece by piece, until the engine casing was cracked and the last 3 missiles thrust deep into the power core before igniting themselves. Three consecutive blasts vaporized the upper portion of the _Shadow Cat_. The _Timber Wolf_ came back and scored yet another alpha strike, causing the _Shadow Cat_ to reel down sizzling. Phaia thought her life would end soon when the _Executioner_ lunged forward and rammed itself onto the _Summoner_. The _Summoner's_ arm blew up to smithereens, and the hulking omnimech staggered to compensate the balance loss. The _Timber Wolf_ lined up its gun to the chest when three missiles from Rolf's _Summoner _sucker-punced its torso. Once again the _Timber Wolf_ lost its balance

"Get back! I will hold this one!" Rolf yelled.

Phaia tottered behind as Rolf boldly went straight to the _Timber Wolf's_ line of fire. The Jade Falcon _Summoner_ got up and fired its PPC, ripping apart Rolf's belly. Rolf's _Summoner_ spat fire, losing half the power, but kept fighting. The _Timber Wolf_ fired another round of missiles, ripping the armor and incinerating the jet fuel. Rolf Summoner was caught fire immediately. Seconds later it exploded in a fiery eruption.

"Phaia, moved back!" Darien shouted, teetering to clear the onslaught. "Wolf leader, this is Tango One. We are overwhelmed by Jade Falcons. Request saturated bombing on Webster… now!"

"Saturated bombing affirmed, Tango One. Clear the area, bombers are on their way."

By the time, Phaia brought her limping _Shadow Cat_ behind a building, seeing Rolf engulfed in fire but she could not do anything about it. The _Executioner_ retreated toward another building, peppered by lasers and missiles from the Jade Falcons. Two _Timber Wolves_ fired off their laser, followed by a _Summoner_ with its PPC. The lasers slam into a supermarket building, raising up dust and smoke. Darien and Phaia used the smoke to cover their retreat. Suddenly missiles screamed through the air, flying over Phaia's cockpit and showering the _Timber Wolves_ and _Summoner_. Phaia winced and glanced behind. Gould had taken a position behind a building and launching his missiles to halt the Jade Falcon's advance.

"Clear the area," Gould said. "I'll hold them for a moment."

"Do not stay too long, Gould," Darien replied. "Bombers are on their way."

"I will make it, Star Commander. Do not worry about me."

The _Timber Wolves_ returned fire, taking aims at Gould's _Mad Dog_ and fired off. The missiles took away the majority of the building where Gould was taking cover. The _Mad Dog_ shuddered. The two _Timber Wolves _followed up with their lasers. Gould twisted his torso, taking an aim to one of the _Timber Wolves_. His missiles hit the _Timber Wolf_ on its chest, bursting the missile launcher. Its left torso was shredded to pieces. Gould stood his ground and hurled everything he had to drive the Clanners back. His _Mad Dog_ lost balance as 15 warheads slammed into its torso, knocking half of his sensors out.

"Gould! Get out of there! Bombers are inbound!" Phaia screamed.

"I have to hold the Falcons!" Gould replied. "Go on! I will be alright! See you at Dargoth Plain!"

Phaia would put off her retreat, but a message from Wolf bombers cracked on her comlink. They were 30 seconds away from burning Webster. So Phaia maxed out her throttle and pushed her Shadow Cat to sprint out of the city. She did not have a chance to glance when Wolf bombers whistled in the air above her head and pounded the city with clustered bombs. The ground shook, almost knocking her off her feet, but she held her joystick tight and maintained her course, away from the cursed city.

Half an hour later, Phaia stood at the cliff where she first arrived at Webster two weeks ago, overlooking what was left of the city. The entire place engulfed in fire. Her _Shadow Cat_ was reduced to a flaming heap of metal, and Darien's _Executioner_ stood beside her, all smoking and spurting sparks. Phaia knew that Darien hated it when he had to decimate a city with carpet bombing, but he had no choice. The Jade Falcon played dirty, and the only way to get out of their talons was to destroy everything in sight.

"Gould, come in," Darien said through general frequency. "Gould, can you read me?"

When the only thing Phaia heard as an answer was static, she was confinced that Gould had sacrificed himself to hold the Jade Falcon on their place when Wolf bombers pounded the city. She reached the comlink and spoke slowly, "I think Gould will not answer your call, Star Commander."

"I think he will not," Darien sighed.

"Jerome Helmer?"

"I hope he burns in hell," Darien grounded his teeth. "He and his entire _dezgra_ unit."

"So what is going on now, Commander?" Phaia asked.

"Regroup to Dargoth Plain and prepare to jump to the Inner Sphere," Darien replied. "We have lost 3 good genetic materials because you disobeyed my command. I should motion for Trial of Grievance. But," he drew a deep breath, "thank you for sticking up with me."

"So what do you want to do with it, Commander?" Phaia queried.

"Sponsor you to take Trial of Position, or even Trial of Bloodright whenever available," Darien replied. "You have proven yourself in combat, Phaia. Your place is not beneath me anymore. As soon as we arrive at the Inner Sphere, I will talk to Khan Phelan."

"Thank you, Commander." Phaia closed her eyes and sunk in a deep appreciation. She was proud of herself, but she felt bad because Rolf, Gould, and Cirico died because of her stubbornness. Had she followed order, they would still be alive. But had he followed order, Darien would have been dead. She could only comfort herself by thinking that sometimes sacrifice had to be made in a war. Phaia gripped her joystick and steered her mech to follow Darien, wondering what the Inner Sphere would wait for her.

**THE END**

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Counting The Days **

**Note:** I am proud to present a contribution from **_Kat Wylder, _**a fellow writer in this forum. For you who don't know Kat Wylder, you can check his work **Black Wolf** (complete) and **Nebelung **(in progress).  
This story is the prequel of **Black Wolf **which took place two and a half years before the events in **Black Wolf**. This prequel will give light to some of Randi's dark past. I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

**_Lukina, satellite of O'Dellia  
The Periphery  
Day 2 of Bondservice_**

"Why must I endure this?" Randi murmured as she stared down at the console of her worn, old 'Mech blankly.

"Pick up the pace, Clanner! We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Aff, lead." She fingered the throttle of her aging _Jenner_ lightly and fell into formation behind Captain Jamar.

"Stop using that slang. I want to hear 'roger' from you, not that Clan crap. Understand, bondswoman?"

"Roger."

"Good."

As she trotted along behind her new commander, Randi could hardly suppress the contempt welling up inside her. It was a strong, somewhat sickening sensation that began in the pit of her stomach and was slowly working its way up into her chest.

'Freebirth!' she cursed at him mentally. 'Audacious and stubborn jackal of a man. Who does he think he is?! A militia captain, nothing more, and he acts as if he had an entire army at his beck and call. He certainly thinks that I am.'

From the very first day she spent with the militia, it seemed that Capt. Jamar was determined to make her miserable. He was not at all familiar with the concept of having a bondsman except for one thing: her duty to serve him.

Her OmniMech, a jump-capable _Timber Wolf_, or _Mad Cat_, as the freebirths called it, had been immediately confiscated along with all her personal effects. She was given strict orders not to leave her quarters between lights-out to the wake-up call. She was confined to a handful of corridors in the H.Q. Jamar had even threatened to have her shot on sight if she were caught off-base when not on duty. She was given no bond cord, no meal, and never addressed by anything but "Clanner".

She could suffer all of this easily, no matter how humiliating it was. However, the Captain had more in store for her. As soon as she was cleared by the medic for active duty the next day, she had been made to sit and wait in the MechHangar. She sat for three hours alone in the hangar staring at her 'Mech as it was hung up on the racks and its Clan insignia was sanded off.

The thought of it made her blood boil again. She cursed Jamar and cursed the code of honor that demanded she remain as his bondswoman.

"Clanner, heads up," the hated party said. "It's time to start earning your keep."

Randi glanced down at her radar scope. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the lone enemy in range was a _Flea_. While she would execute Jamar's orders, she dreaded having to do so. The one task she most feared was firing upon her own Clan.

'Perhaps I should say 'former' Clan,' she thought grimly, as she darted off to meet the _Flea_.

The tiny BattleMech caught sight of her and took off in the opposite direction. Even an outdated chassis like the _Jenner_ was a frightful sight to the pilot of a 'Mech which had barely enough arms to fight off a squadron of helicopters.

Randi chuckled and gave chase. As she sped across the rocky field after her prey, she could not help but be amused at how quickly it fled. A Clansman piloting an equally light 'Mech was only half as likely to run, unless given specific orders not to do so.

"This is pathetic," she said aloud. A smirk melted a bit of her frozen expression, but it quickly faded back to ice. 'The sheer cowardice of these freebirths is disgusting. They will not stand and fight like man and women, but run away like cattle. They truly are in need of our rule and guidance.'

Guidance would have to wait. For the time being, at least, she was taking orders from these cowardly people. She lowered her crosshairs over the bobbing and weaving _Flea_ and fired her SRMs. A chunk of armor and a spray of the missiles' casing flew off the light 'Mech, missing the side of her _Jenner_ by mere centimeters.

Ahead of the two 'Mechs, the landscape began to dip. The infertile ground ended abruptly about 300 meters ahead and dropped down several meters into a rocky glacier valley. There was a narrow rock arch spanning the valley, however, and it looked just big enough to traverse with a _Flea_. Knowing she could lose her quarry, Randi opened fire on the unstable arch. It crumbled easily and plummeted into the scarred valley below.

Cornered, the _Flea_ turned to face her and began to fire all of its scant weaponry at once. This was, perhaps, the worst alpha strike Randi had ever seen. She hit the trigger on her joystick and dragged the glowing red beam of her laser clean down the center of the BattleMech's torso. Its armor started to bubble and steam as it ran down the various planes of framework and exposed myomer. While she continued to fire, chipping away at the armor, some of the molten metal seeped down into a crack in one of the _Flea's_ legs. The insectoid machine jerked strangely and struggled for balance as the actuators and myomer inside its leg became encased in metal that did not belong there.

"I-I surrender!" a terrified voice yelped across the comm. "Please, don't shoot, I--"

Something inside her paused to listen to the plea of the frightened and probably quite green pilot. She came to a halt in front of the battered tin can of a 'Mech and ceased fire.

"Just let me go! You can have the 'Mech, just don't kill me!"

The _Flea_ was far too damaged to run away and posed no danger to her or Jamar's lance. Randi hit the comm. "Power down your 'Mech and exit the cockpit. I will spare you."

Not a second later, her bondholder's angry voice rang over the comm, brash, loud, and indignant as ever. "Hey, Clanner, what are you doing? Destroy that scout!" Capt. Jamar barked.

"Sir, the MechWarrior has surren--"

"I said destroy it!"

"I-- Roger" Randi lowered her targeting reticule over the _Flea_ again and squeezed the trigger.


	11. Chapter 11

**Counting the Days Pt. 2  
**_**By Kat Wylder**_

**Note: **Many thanks for **Kat Wylder** for the submissions. I really enjoy this fanfic, and I believe many others do too. All reviews and credits are yours. For others that wish to participate in this compilation, you are welcome to do so.

* * *

_**Vert Plains, O'Dellia  
**__**The Periphery  
**__**Day 57 of Bondservice**_

The sinking sun caught the metallic edge of a _Daishi_ as the fearsome machine trudged up a sharp, snow-capped peak. The mighty chassis stopped once it crested the thin ridge and torso-twisted back and forth to survey the plain below. A trio of various 'Mechs soon joined it and crouched down, perched like steel vultures waiting for carrion.

The smallest chassis in the lance, a scuffed up _Jenner_, suddenly rose to its feet and began turning back and forth as if looking for something.

"Problems, Clanner?"

Randi muttered a curse and slammed her fist down on the console. The _Jenner's_ HUD went staticy for a moment and then returned to normal. "I thought I saw something."

"First of all," said Captain Jamar with a rather bored and irritable tone, "that's 'sir' to you. Now, about this 'thing', Clanner. You care to be a little more specific?"

"I would like to be sir," Randi replied. It took some effort to keep the disgust from her voice, but she managed. "Some sort of intermittent radar signature. If this _Jenner's_ sensor array was operating correctly, perhaps I--"

Jamar cut her off with a sigh. "Everyone, our objective is Nav Gamma. Bravo Two, hit that Comm tower. Bravo Three, you have the turret control tower. Clanner, you're with me. I don't trust you to go running off by yourself."

"Roger," Randi replied unhappily, as she fell in behind Jamar's _Daishi_.

The _Masakari_ and _Gladiator_ trotted off down the slope towards their target buildings, while Randi followed Capt. Jamar down towards a nest of tanks. She checked her targets and frowned.

'A few _Bulldogs_ and some SRM carriers. A couple of light 'Mechs could easily deal with the tanks and both of the buildings. I cannot believe how wasteful this units is,' she thought to herself. 'I grow sick of this.'

After nearly two months of bondservice, her situation had not improved, despite her good performance. She had dutifully defended her captor and obeyed all his orders, no matter her personal feelings. Randi thought back to the _Flea_ and its pilot and sighed. Her diligence had thus far been rewarded with more derision and humiliation from Jamar. Each time she accompanied the lance on a mission, she had to wait in the MechHangar beneath her _Mad Cat_. It was crushing to look up at the machine she had once piloted while it hung on the racks like a trophy.

Her only consolation was the opportunity to get back in the command couch of a BattleMech on occasion. Though the HUD was different and its neuro-helmet felt strange, the _Jenner_ performed decently considering its age. There were some glitches in the sensors, but its weapons still functioned. That was the important thing.

She and Jamar soon reached the foot of the hill and the tanks took notice of them. The war vehicles boldly drove up to meet them like little wind-up toys and began to fire. Jamar stepped on one, likely just because he could, and then fired his autocannon point-blank at another. Randi was a bit more conservative in picking off the nuisances treads and kept out of range of the SRM carriers.

There was a loud, metallic bang as one of the bulldogs punched her in the back with its guns. She turned swiftly and clicked the trigger, boring a hole through the vehicle with her laser. It ground to a halt as liquid metal spilled down its side onto the grass. Just as Randi turned to find a new target, a curt beep sounded in the cockpit. She glanced down to her radar just in time to see a small red dot disappear from the fringe of her sensors.

"Sir, intermittent radar contact-- 1100 meters."

"Let's clean up these tanks first, Clanner," said Jamar. "I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait."

"Roger, sir," she said with a sigh, as she trotted along behind the _Daishi_. She could not understand why he would not listen to her. Randi attacked another tank, but kept a careful watch on her radar. While her bondholder was arrogant enough to believe he could easily gun down any threat, she did not share his confidence.

The lance had been caught in several surprise attacks by a group of unknown bandits which had appeared in the region last month. What they wanted, who their leaders were, and where they were coming from was unknown. Strangely, the bandits only appeared to Capt. Jamar's lance when Randi was with them. She shrugged it off as an uncanny coincidence. He called her bad karma.

"Lead, this is Bravo Three! We're taking heavy fire!"

Jamar turned a hard right and plodded across the field to assist his subordinates. "Clanner, go on and assist Bravo Two and Three, ASAP!" he barked, knowing Randi could reach them first.

"Roger," she replied, as she hit the throttle of her _Jenner_ and sped off towards the others.

The _Gladiator_ was plainly visible, towering over the field as it was rocked back and forth by a volley of missile fire. A lance of medium and heavy 'Mechs was devouring the O'Dellian's armor with a viciousness Randi had never seen in the InnerSphere. The _Masakari_ was limping a little as it tried to fight off the attackers. From the damage the assault chassis had taken and the shrapnel strewn across the field, it looked as though the bandits had forced Bravo Two into a cluster of fuel tanks.

A medium chassis that Randi had never seen before broke away from the group to pursue her. The humanoid biped opened fire upon her just as she lowered her crosshairs over its flat torso and fired. The angle and suddenness of the weapons fire knocked her _Jenner_ down, sending her SRMs into the atmosphere. She shook her head clear and forced her steed to its feet. Gunfire grazed the side of her 'Mech as she turned to face the enemy and opened fire again. The spray of missiles distracted the pilot long enough for her to get close to it. In no mood to play games while the rest of the lance was eaten up, Randi carefully positioned her targeting reticule over the BattleMech's cockpit and fired her lasers. A plume of smoke spilled out of the hole she had created, as the bandit 'Mech crashed to the ground.

By this time, Jamar's _Daishi_ had closed in on the fight. He fired his autocannons into the hip of a _Phoenix Hawk_ and then turned on a _Bushwhacker_. The bandits at first attempted to stand and fight. After a moment of exchanging fire, the _Phoenix Hawk_ went down and the two remaining 'Mechs retreated.

"Thanks for the save, Captain," said Bravo Two.

"Just glad I made it in time," Jamar said with a tone of arrogance coloring the otherwise modest words. "Let's head back to base."

"Roger, sir," chorused Bravo Two and Three.

Randi fell in behind Jamar again. 'If he had just listened to me,' she thought to herself.

"By the way," said Capt. Jamar disdainfully, "I hope you're happy, Clanner. It looks like you were right after all." He gave a grunt and pushed his 'Mech ahead. "But I still say you're our bad karma."


	12. Chapter 12

**Counting the Days Pt. 3  
_by Kat Wylder_**

**Note: **Once again, thank you for **Kat Wylder** for the submission. This story is very well written and it sheds some light on Randi's background. Of course, the more we know about Randi, the more we love her. I hope I will see more of Randi in the future, and I'm sure a lot of readers hope the same.

* * *

_**Norman Tundra, O'Dellia  
**__**The Periphery  
**__**Day 128 of Bondservice**_

"Okay, Bravo lance. Those stinking bandits have been tearing up our toys," said Captain Jamar. "We're gonna need some new ones if we're gonna kick them back into the slime pit where they belong."

The Captain's fearful _Daishi_ stood and took a heavy step forward, shifting 100 tons from one foot to another in a slow, powerful stride. Its guns jerked back and forth once and a deadly swarm of missiles peered

out from the rack on its shoulder, as the computer loaded the devastating weapons for battle. A garish, vaguely humanoid _Gladiator_ followed it with somewhat stiff, but equally thunderous movements. As the MechWarrior inside activated all of the terrible golem's electronics, it torso-twisted right to look down at Randi's little _Jenner_. The repulsively mechanical "face" of the OmniMech seemed to glare at her in derision.

'Ironic,' she thought as it passed by, accompanied by a squat, birdlike _Masakari_. 'InnerSphere warriors are piloting the machines my forebears created, while I sit here in one of their obsolete contraptions. Kerensky, am I doomed to be so tormented all my life?' Randi glanced up at the OmniMech she had once piloted, still gathering dust in the hangar.

"Hey, Clanner, pick up the pace. With the engine in that _Jenner_, you could be way ahead of us,' said Jamar. "Oh, say, wasn't that your job? Get on it!"

"Roger, lead," she said. 'You arrogant surat,' she thought, muttering a curse.

She slipped past the large, bulky assault 'Mechs out door of the hangar and into the open, snowy field. The light precipitation made a fizzing hiss as it hit the warm armor of her BattleMech. As she trotted ahead of the lance, her sensor array began to pick up static again. She punched the console and then waved her sore hand. The sensors were clear again.

'No nav points set. I wonder why,' she pondered. Randi had learned from the incident in the Vert Plains that her opinion and observations were not welcome, even if they were correct. All the same, she decided to risk another round of derision. "Captain," she said, as she hit the comm, "my computer displays no mission information. What is our objective?'

"That's on a need-to-know basis, Clanner, and you don't need to know. Now, shut up and keep scouting to the north."

"Roger."

As she moved further and further north, the snowfall increased and her sensor range decreased. Every klick she traversed left her blinder than the last-- a bad position for a 'Mech that relied on speed and sight to survive. The damper it put on her _Jenner_'s heat output was the sole benefit of the weather. That hardly amounted to a Kelvin's difference in the 'Mech's heat readings, however, so the snow was still more trouble than it was worth.

Randi squinted to see through the hazy blur of white in front of her and glanced down at her static-ridden HUD. Her stomach did an unexpected flip-flop when her 'Mech suddenly fell through a sheet of ice. She gave a yelp of surprise, but recovered herself quickly once the _Jenner_'s feet hit the solid riverbed. A block of ice half the size of her machine crashed into its right leg, nearly knocking her down into the frigid water. She overcame the inertia and forced her 'Mech upright.

"Captain Jamar, there is a frozen river 200 kilometers north of your position. Recommend you approach with caution, lead. Some of these ice blocks could knock down your OmniMechs," she reported. She fired her

jumpjets to lift herself out of the water and over to the other bank.

"Copy that. Bravo Two and Three, echelon left," the Captain ordered, as the three assault 'Mechs approached the snow-covered bank.

Jamar's _Daishi_ paused in front of the river for a moment before taking a cautious step forward to wade in cautiously like a bather adjusting to the water. The trio crossed at a painfully slow rate, often stopping to avoid being knocked down by the ice flow.

"We're gonna be at this awhile," said Jamar. "Keep scouting ahead, Clanner. Oh, and, destroy all enemy units you encounter."

"Enemy detected," the _Jenner_'s computer reported, as if on cue. A fast-moving red dot appeared on the radar scope less than 600 meters away.

"Contact, 600 meters!" Randi cried, as she targeted the threat. "It is a--"

"They're Clanners! Smoke 'em!" cried Jamar, as he turned his fearsome _Daishi_ to bombard the 'Mech. "Try for hip shots! I want these in as few pieces as possible for salvage."

Randi backed away from the advancing units, confused and unsure what to do. A lone _Cougar_ appeared on her radar, but each of the Bravo lance 'Mechs were firing on different targets.

"I can only read one _Cougar_. What are their forces and location, lead?" she asked, retreating further until she had more information. "Captain, what is our objective?!"

"To destroy these Clanner fleabags! Now, get on it!"

The _Cougar_ rocketed upwards on its jumpjets and landed near Randi. It opened fire with its LRMs, tearing a hole in the side of her 'Mech. As it closed in, the unit number became visible.

'That is Obin, my sibkin!' She hit the comm and hailed her former comrade. "Obin, this is Randi! Cease fire, cease fire! I will not fight you!"

"Then you shall die!" the woman shot back, bitterly. "You are no longer Clan. Your place is beside these freebirths, and you shall share their fate, dezgra!"

A burst of autocannon fire ripped through the snow and drilled into the arm of Obin's _Cougar_. The vague, hulking form of Jamar's _Daishi_ appeared and plodded toward the Clan 'Mech. He fired again and again, until the myomer guts of the light chassis were hanging out in the open, then switched to his PPC and fired a bolt of the devastating beam weapon straight into the slim, rounded nose of the _Cougar_. Its torso spun to the left under the impact of the blast, as it crashed to the ground.

Jamar walked past the wreckage and pointed his guns at Randi. Bravo Two and Three joined him, sporting hardly a scratch, and did the same.

"I should've known I couldn't count on you," her bondholder growled. "You Clanners always talk about honor and obedience, but you just can't walk the walk. You're more trouble than you're worth."

Randi readied her scant weapons, determined to hold her own, no matter the odds. "I may be your bondswoman, but I am still Clan. You call me that, yourself."

He barked a laugh and turned away. "Didn't you hear your friend? They don't want you anymore," Capt. Jamar said. "And neither do I. I can't afford to have so much bad karma in the lance. Trade the _Jenner_ for that skinned Cat of yours, and get out of my sight."

"You're letting her go?" asked the _Masakari_ pilot.

"She's not worth it, Leah. Besides, where's she gonna go? If the Clan or bandits don't kill her, someone else will. Let her run herself ragged before she's gunned down in a back alley. The _Mad Cat_'s too damaged for our techs to repair, anyway."

Randi stared after the assault 'Mechs as they casually walked off to continue their mission. 'He is right,' she thought, 'no one wants me. I suppose I had best get Nyx. If I am to die, I want to die inside a real 'Mech.'

With a heavy sigh, she jumped into the river and started back towards the base. Depressed and preoccupied, she turned on the radio.

"--is the chance of a lifetime!" bellowed an over-enthusiastic announcer. "Think you have the skill and the guts to be a Mech merc? Trot down to the O'Dellian spaceport and join the Scimitar Mercenary Company, today!"

* * *

**To Be Continued to "Black Wolf"**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Honor of a Warrior  
by SulliMike23**

**Note:** Another good thus welcomed contribution from a friend, **_SulliMike23_**. This story is the first part of the incident at Turtle Bay, the dark page of Inner Sphere which not many people are keen to exploit. I have the honor of posting this rare story in my account.

* * *

_**Turtle Bay  
**__**Pecht Military District  
**_**_Draconis Combine  
__30 March 3050_**

_Chu-i _Keitaro Takahashi sighed as he finished reading his book and looked up at the top bunk he slept under. He was only twenty years old and fresh out of the academy and he had to get assigned to an out-of-the-way assignment within the Draconis Combine. Turtle Bay didn't get much action except battling Periphery pirates. For Keitaro, it was insulting to him since his ancestors had served the Draconis Combine as well as the leaders of Japan on Terra and have all earned high honors from the Coordinator. Even his father served in the war of 3039 and was praised by Takashi Kurita himself! So why was he here, of all places?

He hoped that if he exceeded his commander's expectations, he would get a reassignment to the Draconis March and face off against soldiers from House Davion. The Davions, ever since they joined with House Steiner and became the Federated Commonwealth the Draconis Combine had been running a two-sided front defending against combined forces of both houses. There were rumors, however, of mysterious invaders in the Periphery; still, he thought it was mere scuttlebutt and nothing more.

Keitaro was shaken out of his thoughts as the base's siren went off alerting the entire base of an attack. Keitaro jumped out of his bunk as did everyone else within his unit. He ran outside of the bunk in time to see other soldiers run around the base to their battlemechs. Keitaro ran to his personal Mech, which was a _Centurion_. The _Centurion_ had belonged to his father before he was killed performing a _seppuku_ after nearly getting captured by soldiers from House Steiner in the 4th Succession War. The Mech was recovered and salvaged and given to him after he graduated from the academy.

He had managed to strap on his neuro-helmet and cooling vest and climbed up to the battlemech's cockpit. He strapped himself into the command couch before starting the Mech up. For Keitaro, it was just another day of going after Periphery pirates. But he wouldn't fight them without earning _some_ praise because Hohiro Kurita, Theodore Kurita's son, was there on Turtle Bay so he also had a duty to protect the heir to the throne of Luthien.

After everything inside his battlemech was powered up, Keitaro marched it to meet up with his commander's lance. Keitaro was in charge of his own lance, which consisted mainly of medium-class Mechs. After a few minutes, Keitaro overheard a voice through his neuro-helmet speakers.

"I am Galaxy Commander Cordera Perez of the Smoke Jaguars; I hereby issue a challenge for the control over Turtle Bay. What forces defend this world?"

Keitaro was confused, if these were pirates why would they communicate with them and want to take control of Turtle Bay rather than raid it like all pirates? Moreover, he had never heard of the Smoke Jaguars. Whoever they were, they weren't going to take Turtle Bay.

"What kind of joke is this? Are you mercenaries hired by the Federated Commonwealth; because if you are then you will die!" Keitaro's Commanding officer crowed as he readied his _Hamato-Chi_ for combat.

"You dare mock and refuse my batchall you worthless freebirth?!" The Galaxy Commander shouted in anger.

'_Batchall? Freebirth? What kind of pirates use these terms and what do they mean?'_ Keitaro asked himself in confusion as he heard the Smoke Jaguar leader's last comment towards his commanding officer.

"Very well, prepare to die freebirth scum!" The Galaxy Commander finished before ending the transmission.

Just then Keitaro spotted a dropship overhead; but it wasn't any dropship class he recognized. It looked almost like a _Union-class_ dropship, but much bigger than that. He noted a symbol of a pouncing, grey jaguar in front of what looked like claw marks. The symbol itself looked fearsome while at the same time resembled the namesake of the Smoke Jaguars. The problem was, it was too far for their weapons to even touch it.

Just a few moments later two more dropships of the same type followed it and landed on a field far from the base. Keitaro knew the plan, should these mercenaries or pirates overrun their forces; but he knew that these fools would die like any pirates or mercenaries. Keitaro then spotted several small silhouettes approaching from the dropships' positions. After managing to get a fix on them with his targeting computer, he waited to see what his computer identified them as.

However, the computer started flickering through several battlemech variations before deciding on the term 'unknown'. This definitely confused Keitaro, there were very few recent battlemech designs as of late but none that the Draconis Combine Intelligence didn't know about. They had spies all over the Inner Sphere so how could they NOT know what these battlemechs were?

His alarm then sounded as it alerted him of a missile lock. He moved his _Centurion_ behind a rock as his lance broke apart from the missiles. The missiles barely missed him and impacted on the ground behind his Mech. After arming his own LRMs and readied them to fire he aimed towards the enemy battlemechs. However, all he got was the clicking sound of his targeting computer's scan telling him the distance between him and the opposing forces.

'_What? They fired LRMs three times the average effective range? That's impossible!'_ Keitaro thought to himself as he prepped his Mech's weapons for combat. He then brought up his video enhancement window to get a clear look at the opposing Mechs. What he saw stunned him; the Mechs weren't anything he had ever seen before. From what he could tell of a few of them, they were somewhat variants on some battlemechs he had seen during his training days at the academy and from the 4th Succession War. Others looked more sinister and deadly; everything about these Mechs just screamed with power.

"What kind of battlemechs are these?" Came the call of one of his lancemates, Yoshiyuki Kagura, his voice shaking a little.

"Keep it together Medium Lance," Keitaro snapped into his radio trying to keep his lance from getting frightened. "They may look deadly, but we're still Combine soldiers and we'll hit them with everything we've got."

With that, Keitaro kicked his Mech into a run with his lance following behind him. His lance consisted of three other medium Mechs including a _Trebuchet_, a _Hatchetman_, and a _Crusader_. Keitaro then spotted a nearby Mech that looked almost like a human being. The Mech almost resembled that of a _Phoenix Hawk_ and a _Centurion_ but looked heavier and seemed to pack more firepower than either Mech. He armed his LRMs and managed to get a lock; he depressed the trigger on his control stick and ten missiles immediately shot out of his mech's chest and towards the opposing mech. The unknown mech didn't even flinch as some of the missiles exploded short of their target while the rest slammed into it.

Keitaro checked the damage indicator of his opponent but saw no real damage. He was shocked; there wasn't as much as a dent in the Mech's armor. The opposite mech turned its torso faster than Keitaro could blink and returned fire with its lasers; the color of the lasers didn't confuse Keitaro at all, he knew that they were medium-range lasers, what confused him was their range. However, he managed to move his mech out of the way while the lasers struck a boulder near his location. Keitaro armed his medium laser and counterattacked, but the laser fell short compared to his opponent's medium lasers.

'_That's…impossible! His medium lasers have the same effective range as our large lasers! How can their weapons be superior? What kind of pirates are we dealing with here?'_ Keitaro felt a tight grip in his chest, as if it were telling him that these weren't pirates that they were dealing with.

His thoughts came out as he felt the impact of the opposing Mech's weapons; this time a different weapon struck him, one he had never seen before. The weapon hit him with the force of a PPC impact, but it was a ballistic shot. The weapon itself pierced straight through his Mech's left shoulder tearing the joints that held it and the Mech's left arm together causing the left arm to be blown off the Mech completely. Keitaro felt his teeth chatter as he fought to keep the _Centurion_ upright from the impact of the weapon. He managed to keep his Mech straight and aimed his Mech's right arm at the enemy mech and fired his autocannon. The uranium slugs struck the mech, but they fell to the ground without making much damage at all.

"What kind of armor is that? My autocannon should've pierced the armor of that monster!" Keitaro exclaimed as he saw the enemy mech focus its attention on him. Keitaro saw the enemy Mech fired that same weapon at him again, this time it struck his right arm blowing it apart after hitting the muzzle that lead to the ammunition for his autocannon.

The Mech then fired its medium lasers at Keitaro's center torso. The armor on the mech melted away like wax to a candle flame. Keitaro then felt another jolt as the enemy Mech fired that new weapon once more at the same area the medium laser struck him. Keitaro felt his mech shudder as it got pounded by the opponent. Through his neuro-helmet, Keitaro heard his mech's alarm klaxons go off as warning lights lit up his cockpit.

"_Warning, reactor shielding breached. Failure imminent."_ The monotone voice of his Mech computer announced through Keitaro's speakers. Keitaro then slammed his fist on his ejection button and felt the force of his command couch being lifted into the air. After a few moments the ejector pod Keitaro was in hit the ground; the force of the impact made Keitaro flail about inside and made him hit his head on one of the bulkheads causing him to black out.

Keitaro awoke later with a groan; his head pounded with a headache from hitting his head. He then remembered the battle and shot his head up ignoring the sheering pain in his head. He then saw a group of armored infantrymen surround him and aiming their weapons at him. The infantrymen were wearing a body armor he had never seen before; it looked almost like a Mech's body, but smaller. From behind one of them, a slightly smaller man with dark skin and a Mohawk approached him. Keitaro made no move to reach for his pistol for he knew that if he did, the infantrymen would kill him easily.

"Well mechwarrior," the man addressed him. "I am surprised you survived our encounter." At that moment, Keitaro realized that the man in front of him was his opponent in the unknown mech he had fought. "I suppose I could finish the job, but I will spare you, for now."

"What do you intend to do with me?" Keitaro growled as he tried to get up, only to be hit in the back from one of the armored men.

"Insolent freebirth!" The man who hit him hissed through his external speakers. "Do not address your superior in such a manner!"

"At ease, Point Commander." The mechwarrior said casually as he strode over to Keitaro's body. "You, young MechWarrior, state your name."

Seeing no point in resisting, Keitaro replied with a strain on his voice from the pain of feeling the infantryman's armor on hitting his back. "I am _Chu-i_ Keitaro Takahashi of the Draconis Combine."

The other man grinned maliciously. "Well, Keitaro, I, Star Colonel Dietr Osis, hereby claim you as my bondsman." Keitaro raised his eyebrow in confusion. "From this day forth, you belong to Clan Smoke Jaguar."

**To be continued…**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Heaven's Warriors  
_by Zmuh11_**

**  
Note:** It's been a long time since I updated this thread, and I'm proud to present yet another excellent contribution from **Zmuh11**, author of _Invasion of Junc City_ and _The Hell's Horse_. This story is the first part of a 2-part prologue for his mega story, and is dated back as far as Roman Empire. Yes, it's an unusual BattleTech story, but **Zmuh11** has been everything but usual in his fanfics. That brings a new breeze to the forum, and I hope you'll enjoy his creativity.

* * *

Long ago when man did not travel the stars, and was constricted to a singular planet Earth. A land called Rome ruled the world. It ruled the land mercilessly and heartlessly. It cut down any opposition with its massive armies. In this land lived a man by the name of Lameus Auralius. He was the commander of a Roman legion, and he was undefeated in battle. Lameus never showed weakness in front of the enemy, but rather enemies would turn and run in fear at the sound of his name. But Lameus was not a Roman. He was a Sarmatian Knight, a warrior of such great skill that all feared them. His past made him an excellent warrior, but like any other man, he had a weakness. The love of a woman. Her name was Herdiotes. She was his commander's daughter. Lameus longed for Herdiotes, he longed to love her and to care for her. He loved her more than he loved victory. Herdiotes felt the same for Lameus. Together the two forged a secret love. However, when Herdiotes found that she was to be married to another man by the force of her father, the two lovers ran away to Lameus's home, the far off land of Sarmatia. There, they hid in secret, hiding away from Herdiote's ruthless father. 

There they stayed for many seasons, always just out of sight of the general, living in both fear and happiness. While in their secret life, Herdiotes gave birth to three sons. She was a lover of the heavens, and she gave her sons the names of the three greatest stars in the sky. The oldest son she named Vega, the second son Deneb, and the third son Altair. Together the five of them lived in fear, and peace. As the boys became older it was tradition in Sarmatia that the sons become warriors. They learned the ways of their father, and over time, all three grew into greatly skilled warriors. Vega, the eldest of the three, learned the ways of the sword like his father. Deneb, the strongest of the three, learned the brute force of the battle ax. Altair, the quickest and sharpest of the three, learned the way of the bow. Together, they became the great warriors.

The five lived peacefully for many years in Sarmatia. Lameus and Herdiotes started growing old, and the three sons were forced to care of them. But the hunters of Lameus and Herdiotes finally caught up with them. While the sons were away hunting, a squad of Roman soldiers found Lameus and Herdiotes. They burned the house that the family lived in, killed Lameus, and brutally raped and murdered Herdiotes. They left the two lovers hanging from a tree and rode away. The three brothers returned to find their parents dead and their land destroyed. As they looked at their parents, Vega found the sword of his father. He picked up the sword and cut his arm, and the arms of his brothers. They swore, in blood, that they would take vengeance for whoever had done this. The three brothers hunted down and annihilated the squad of soldiers that had killed their parents. They hung the heads of the soldiers from their swords. The three brothers then decided they were going to travel to Rome to the general who had ordered their parent's dead. They would not rest until they had his head.

Together the three brothers traveled the thousand miles to the Roman capitol. They were not used to the ways of the city, and they found that their mission would be more difficult than they had thought. They were determined though. Vengeance for their parents' death was all that they longed for. They drew their plans to quietly enter the capitol's palace, where all the leaders of war lived. On a dark starry night they climbed up through a well in the middle of the palace. Altair quickly dispatched the few guards around with a flurry of arrows. They crept down several hallways to the general's room, silently killing any guard that was unfortunate enough to get in their way. They made their way to a set of large double doors. After dispatching the guards outside and using the slightest touch, Vega opened the door and all three crept into the room. There lying on a grand bed too big for a giant, slept the fat general. His snoring was loud enough for the whole city to hear.

The three brothers each got into position. Altair stood by the door and nocked three arrows. Deneb stood at the left side of the bed, bringing his giant ax into the air. Vega stood on the right side of the bed, bringing his father's sword into the air. It gleamed brightly in the moonlight. The brothers were going to kill the general as one. Vega nodded and the brothers were going to have their revenge, but the blindness of vengeance would betray the brothers. Altair tensed up as four arrows plunged into his back. Letting out a loud gasp of pain he turned around and fired his three arrows, killing three of the four guards who had shot him. He then fell over onto his back dead. The fourth guard screamed for the golden legion, the honor guards of the palace that guarded the emperor. The general woke up to find a battle ax and a sword ready to plunge into his body. He kicked Deneb and scrambled out of the way in time to avoid Vega's lunge. He then ran off into the hallway and into the safety of the golden legion.

Two dozen of the elite warriors came pouring into the room. Vega and Deneb fought the elite guards gallantly, but not even two Sarmatian warriors could stop the golden legion in force. After a gallant fight, and after half of the golden legion lay on the ground dead, Deneb lied on the floor in a pool of blood. A sword protruded out of his stomach from the dead man that lay beneath him. Vega kneeled in the middle of the room, surrounded by ten honor guards. He was still alive, but he had been cut across the back and was paralyzed. The general came walking into the room and saw the blood bath that had been made.

"So the three sons of Lameus, all lying in pools of blood" said the general. With a cackle of high laughter he grabbed Vega by his hair and said.

"You have lost son of Lameus. Your family has been disgraced forever, and I hope that God sends you, your brothers, your mutinous father, and your whore of a mother to the deepest pits of hell."

Vega looked up at the fat general. He looked at him with eyes that burned with fire. Never before had a man hated another man so much. All Vega could think about was killing the man before him. The stare was so intense that the general became horrified. He quickly took a knife from one of the guards, and reached for Vega's throat. As he did Vega made his last reply.

"You may kill me now Roman, but the brothers of Sarmatia will return, and we will carry out our vengeance."

Frightened so much from this dying man, the general plunged the knife into the throat of Vega. Vega grimaced but still stared at the general with eyes of fire. Slowly the last brother of Sarmatia died. It was said that after Vega collapsed to the ground that a great wind swept through the palace, and that the greatest stars in the sky, Vega, Deneb, and Altair, burned brighter than they ever had before.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Return  
_by Zmuh11_  
**

**Note:** This is the next part of **Warriors of Heaven**, and the first part of Zmuh11's long story.Enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**Planet Terra  
Fort Montgomery Supply Station  
September 12, 3068  
6:00 A.M.**

Acolyte Will Strongbold stood guard early in the morning. He watched and waited for an enemy that he was certain would never come. There were never any enemies that would come. No one dared to attack his base that sat just 200 miles south of Terra's capital city. For three hours now he has been sitting in the cockpit of his massive Crusader mech, constantly scanning the empty horizon. It was a monotonous chore, but someone had to be there when someone would get the gall to challenge him.

Will felt secure in his brand new 65 ton mech. It had just recently rolled off the production line and this was only its fourth time out on guard. Will moved his mech's arms so that they were parallel with his cockpit. He could see clearly in the early morning sun the twin LRM 15 launchers that could deliver a lethal blow to an enemy before they even had a chance to come near him. Will chuckled at himself for looking at his mech's weaponry, but why not feel good about it? No one ever did challenge him or the entire Word of Blake for that matter. To the left of Will's Crusader stood one of the Blue Flame mechs developed here on Terra. The dog shaped mech looked evil on its four legs, ready to charge at anyone that came near. Beyond that stood both a giant Legacy mech, as well as a small but still dangerous Lightray. Together the four mechs were an impressive guard that no one dared to challenge, or would they?

Will called over to the pilot of the Blue Flame mech using his radio, not caring that his signal could be heard by anyone.

"Not much going on out here tonight," Will said.

The Blue Flame turned on its front legs towards Will's Crusader. The mech looked devilish. Will heard a beep in his cockpit as the Blue Flame pilot attempted to connect to him using a comm. laser. Will jammed his signal with a flip of a switch.

"Just use your radio you fool," said Will.

The Blue Flame turned its head in a cockeye motion, looking like a confused demon.

"I thought we were supposed to use comm. lasers for short range stuff. Anyone can hear us on our radio," said the Blue Flame pilot.

"Who is gonna here us?" said Will.

"Yeah I guess. It's the way it always is. I just wish that one time those heretic Comstar cowards would get the nerve to attack. Then we could show the entire Inner Sphere that we mean business," said the pilot. Will laughed as loud as possible, loud enough for the mechs that were preparing to strike to hear.

"I'm sure you will kid," said Will.

Although Strongbold was an acolyte still, he had been involved in the invasion of Terra ten years earlier. Will had seen his share of spilled blood. He had lost many good friends in the opening wave of the occupation. He thought for a second about the friends he had lost. He shoved those memories away though. It was no time to think about the past. The Word of Blake was becoming one of the greatest forces in the Inner Sphere, and he had helped to bring it to power.

He responded to the Blue Flame pilot.

"Listen kid, when the missiles and lasers of the enemy come flying our way, let's see how good you do. If you live past your first fight I will buy you a drink," said Will.

"You're on old timer. I can already imagine how amazing that drink is going to taste after sitting out here for hours," said the pilot.

The drink would never cross the pilot's lips. As if answering his call for war a flurry of long range missiles came out of nowhere and slammed into the head of the four legged mech. A giant fireball engulfed the front of the machine. The cockpit was blown out like a window being hit with a giant baseball. Like a dog that had been hit over the head with a bat the mech reared on its hind legs and fell over backwards. The now dead novice pilot inside sat slumped over his command couch, blood pouring out of his slashed and burned body.

"Condition Bloodmoon!!!! Enemy mechs approaching!" Will yelled to the other two mechs.

Condition Bloodmone was the code for surprise attack. It meant that Will and the other Word of Blake pilots were too stupid to realize that enemy forces were literally right on top of them. It also meant that they would have to fight like they had never fought before. The Legacy and Lightray pilots jumped to action, but there were no signals on the radar. Looking down Will saw nothing but a blank screen. Then, a blur flashed across the screen, moving at high speed. Then slowly, one by one, eleven other blips appeared on the screen, an entire company of mechs. How they had managed to remain hidden for so long astounded him.

Will was about to call back to base when more LRMs flew over his head. He watched as the missiles plowed into the communication tower, erupting in another fireball. The radio immediately went dead, and he could no longer call the other lance of guard mechs on the opposite side of the base. Hopefully the explosion was loud enough for them to come running.

He looked up from his radar to a flash of green light. The laser shot slammed into his torso, sizzling armor. The Crusader shook violently after being hit for the first time, but it would take more than that to bring down the giant machine.

Will settled back into his command couch. He looked back at his radar screen in horror to see twelve more contacts behind the twelve he head already seen. How the hell did those mechs get so close without being detected?

Regaining his cool, he looked back up to see a Griffin mech running toward him. The mech was smaller than his Crusader, but it looked just as deadly. Running to his right Will lifted up the massive LRM launchers on the arms of his mech. Sighting the enemy Griffin as another laser slashed into his torso, melting away some more armor but not enough to cause worry, Will fired a volley of missiles at the enemy Griffin. The LRMs streamed towards the enemy mech, who just stood less than fifty meters away, Will smiled as the missiles went in, but then watched in horror.

"My God!" he screamed in disbelief.

The enemy Griffin stood defiantly in front of the mass of missiles streaming towards it. As the volley closed in on the enemy mech light jumped from a tube on the upper right corner of its chest. The light destroyed the missiles. The LRMs had done no damage. The anti-missile tube of the Griffin let off steam as enemy mech then looked at the Crusader with eyes of fury. Will felt the stare, and the fire of hatred that burned through him.

Raising its right arm the Griffin fired a PPC and a flurry of SRMs which all impacted on the Crusader. The SRMs exploded onto the Crusader's chest, while the PPC drove into its midsection. The PPC sizzled the armor on the left torso, shedding away almost a ton of it. Trying to keep his now weak left side safe, Will brought his LRM launchers to bear on the Griffin again. A series of green lights stopped him as a Jinggau walked onto the field. The slower Capellan mech fired its massive gauss rifle. Will felt his Crusader lurch from the impact of the massive Gauss slug. The lasers and gauss rifle slashed further into the Crusader's midsection. The giant 65 ton mech could not take such a pounding. Warning lights flashed and alarms sounded from all parts of the Crusader.

Will hit the ejection button, but the ejection system had been damaged during the fighting. Looking back out onto the battlefield Will was dumbfounded. He watched as two full companies of mechs swarmed over his position. Looking to his left the Legacy mech was dueling with a giant Templar mech. One of the massive autocanons of the Legacy had been shredded off, and it was limping slowly. Streams of light fired off from the Templar's arms. Shredding and tearing into the Legacy. The Legacy brought its arm up to bring its laser aseembly to bear only to have it left leg sheered off by two Gauss rifle slugs. But the slugs had not come from the Templar, but rather from a giant four legged Sirocco that sundered onto the battlefield.

Farther beyond Will saw the Lightray trying desperately to fight both an Anubis and a Valkyrie. Both enemy mechs slashed into the Lightray with lasers that melted away precious armor. The Lightray tried to run off the field, the novice pilot fearing for his life, but as it did LRMs slammed into its back, knocking it over. The Anubis and Valkyrie closed in to finish the kill.

Will turned back to his battle. The enemy Griffin and Jinggua were in front of him, almost waiting for him to fire. Will knew that firing his LRMs would do no good against the Griffin, but the Jinggau did not have AMS. Will quickly lifted his arms and launched volley after volley of missiles at the odd shaped mech. The Jinggau was defenseless against the onslaught. Will laughed as he knew at least he would destroy one enemy mech. But again the Griffin foiled him. Using its jump jets the Griffin flung itself into the wave of missiles. Landing just inches away from its defenseless companion. The AMS tube on its chest erupted in ferocious waves of light. It destroyed all the incoming missiles, and after they were all destroyed the AMS tube glowed hot red.

Will could not believe it. A violent shake and the next thing Will knew he was on his back looking up into the sky. He checked his systems only to see that his indicator lights were all shades of orange and red. He tried to pick up his mech but heard the legs actuators grinding against something. His leg must have been hit while he was awestruck by the skill of the Griffin pilot. Will laughed at his novice stupidity. He settled his head back against the top of his command couch. He looked out of his Crusader's cockpit. He noticed that three stars looked particularly bright that night, the stars of the summer triangle, Vega, Deneb, and Altair. They shined brighter than he had ever seen.

The Griffin, Templar, and Anubis mech stood in front of the once proud Crusader. The mechs shined from the starlight. Even their jet black paint schemes shone in the nightlight. Streams of silver gleamed on the enemy machines from light reflecting off all kinds of different surfaces, all except for the Griffin. It did not shine in the dark, and there was no sparkling light coming off of it. All Will could see was its two red eyes, they looked menacing.

Will yelled over his radio. "Who are you?! How did you do this?!"

The three mechs just stared at the collapsed Crusader. Each of them had eyes of fury that burned into Will's soul. Mercilessly the Griffin raised its arm and fired one last PPC. The ball of blue and purple light slammed into the core of the collapsed giant.

As the core of the massive mech exploded, sending hot metal flying everywhere, Will feeling the heat of the inferno engulfing him, heard only one thing.

"We are the Knights of Sarmatia, and we will have our revenge"


	16. Chapter 16

**Secrets, Lies, and Word of Blake**

Story by** RogueBaron **and **TheGreenKnight  
**Characters by** Sentinel28**

**Note: **This thread is not dead. I've been meaning to update this, but IK3 dominates most of my free time. Thanks to **TheGreenKnight**, I have a reason and motivation to update this.

This chapter is a result of a three-way deal with **TheGreenKnight** and **Sentinel28**. **TheGreenKnight** wanted to submit a chapter for IK3 (as a guest author), but the chapter made a slight detour from **Sentinel28**'s plot. **Sentinel28** approved this little detour, but I had to write Bien's and Felisanna's fate (this decision is also affected by the fact that **Sentinel28** is busy with his new job, so he delegated Bien and Felisanna to **TheGreenKnight** and me).

Therefore, this is a little backstory that describes the fate of Bien and Felisanna after Snowbird. This chapter is also crucial for the next chapter of IK3 because it explains why Word of Blake is interested in a backwater planet of Victoria (Ashley, Dubhe, if you're reading this, here's a partial answer to your questions).

* * *

_**Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
**__**Crucis March, Federated Suns,  
**__**August 31, 3057**_

The _Victor-9B_ backpedaled slowly, backing up against the gaping mouth of a cave. The entrance was more than adequate to facilitate the 80-ton _Victor_, but the pilot knew that it wouldn't do him any good. Six _Buccaneer_ mechs boxed him against the cave, and he knew quite well that it was the end of his life. The cave, the one he had been protecting from the Word of Blake terrorists, would fall onto their hands nonetheless. And nothing he could do to prevent it, even if he sacrificed himself.

The mechwarrior, Bien Canonizado, took several quick, short breaths before taking his final stance, shoving his monstrous AC20 at the _Buccaneers_. The Word of Blake realized that one direct hit from the deadliest gun in the Inner Sphere could be fatal. But both Bien and the Blakists also knew that Bien could not take all of them. One, maybe two _Buccaneers_ would go down, but the rest would rip the _Victor_ apart. The Word of Blake were simply too many.

The problem was: nobody, among the Blakists, would be the sacrificial lamb. No one wanted to die first.

"You can't win, infidel," the Blakists spoke through the comlink as they stopped just outside 350-meter range. "Just surrender your futile resistance and accept our way of life. Give up the cache, and we'll let you live."

"Give up?" Bien forced a curt chuckle. "I am a Snowbird, you idiots. Snowbirds never give up."

"All we want is the cache," another faceless voice interjected. "Give up the cache and we will let you go."

"You have to go through me, you rotten fanatics!" Bien hissed, grazing his AC20 trigger with his fingertip. "Come on, you want the cache? Then fight me like a man!"

Yelling his battle chant, Bien floored the pedal and ran toward his enemies. The Blakists reacted in a flash, spraying the _Victor_ with multiple laser blasts. Bien slammed the stick to the right, avoiding half of the salvoes, but several strands stroke his shoulder, raking armor and dangerously threatening the joints. Bien groaned while adjusting the target reticule toward the closest _Buccaneer_. It turned red, and Bien hurled his cannon. His ears rang as the autocannon spat rounds of shells, slamming into the _Buccaneer's_ left torso, chewing up three layers of armor. Shrapnel of ferro-fibrous flew everywhere. The punch caused the _Buccaneer_ to loose balance. It fell and skidded on the ground.

Blazed with confidence, Bien put the fallen _Buccaneer_ in his targeting reticule and blasted off his laser and missiles. Laser fires from the other _Buccaneers_ flogged his mech, but he ignored it. His mind flew several years back when everything started with a seemingly bright and glorious future...

* * *

Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth,  
December 3, 3052

_"What is this place?"_

_Bien pushed his mech into the cave slowly, guns at the ready, watching his radar for any sligth movement inside the dark place. Victoria was a small agricultural planet in Crucis March, and Bien chose it as his future home after he left the Snowbird Mercenary Regiment. A backwater planet, Victoria offered a quiet and undisturbed life that was perfect for Bien's future plan: to die of old age. It was his first patrol run, and after a 4-hour patrol, his radar caught an anomaly in the planet's contour. The anomaly turned out to be a huge cave, big enough for battlemechs to wander into it._

_"Nobody's told us about this place," Felisanna's voice crackled. "I mean, we haven't been a week in this planet and we have seen it with naked eyes. Why do you think Victoria's natives are unaware of this cave? Do you think they are hiding something?"_

_Bien glanced right, watching Felisanna's _Wolfhound_ wandered deeper into the dark cave. Since they got married after the Clan invasion, they were never separated. His new life was the one that prompted Bien to leave the Snowbirds. Knowing her nature, Bien felt he couldn't protect Felisanna all the time if they stayed on the front line with the Snowbirds. So he chose Victoria, a calm backwater planet close to New Avalon as their new home. It was not a place for a mechwarrior like him, but at least he knew Felisanna would be safe._

_"Don't!" Bien quickly halted Felisanna, pushing her Wolfhound back with his right arm. _

_"What? My radar doesn't pick up anything!" Felisanna grunted. _

_"It doesn't mean it's safe for you to wander around," Bien huffed. "Get behind me."_

_Felisanna exhaled sharply, but followed her husband's direction to walk behind the big _Victor_. They tiptoed deeper into the cave, and soon enough they could not see anything. Bien put up his night vision, but even then he could not make out the majority of the interior. He was thinking of turning on his search light, but he didn't want to alert whatever hid inside the cave._

_"I don't see anything," Felisanna checked her short-ranged radar. "Even my heat sensor is blank. I'd say just turn on the search light. Nothing can hurt us except battlemechs, and I don't see any battlemech within 400 meters."_

_"Alright," Bien saw no point continuing to walk in the dark. "Get your guns ready. We turn on the light together." He armed his AC20 and put his thumb over the light switch. "Ready? Now."_

_The light quickly illuminated the interior, and Bien's voice stuck in his throat. The cave led into a massive underground complex, complete with machineries to take care of battlemechs. Repair bays – or whatever they were intended to do – were visible inside the cave. And there were more of the complex that Bien and Felisanna could see. The cave seemed like going on to eternity._

_"My God," Felisanna mumbled. "What is this? Brian's Cache? Secret military base?"_

_"I don't know," Bien replied. "It looks abandoned, though. Let's check it out."_

* * *

The _Buccaneers_ concentrated fire on Bien's torso. Fire blazed from the impact, turning metal into scorching jelly. Bien felt a tumult in his stomach as he lost balance of his mech. The _Victor_ teetered backward and landed on the cave interior. Bien gunned his engine, bringing the _Victor_ dash toward the _Buccaneers_.

The one _Buccaneer_ Bien nicked several minutes ago had regained its footing and now joined its comrade shooting at the _Victor_. The armor tracker quickly turned red as the lasers took away layers after layers of armor. But Bien kept on charging, eating the distance between him and the Lighrays while continuously taking fire. Surprisingly, the Word of Blake didn't change strategy. They kept firing their lasers with very little movement, hoping that they would take Bien down before the big Victor could reach optimum range for its AC20.

When they were only 300 meters apart, Bien fired his missiles at the damaged _Buccaneer_. The _Buccaneer_ flinched, but half of Bien's missiles went through its armor and sliced the left hull into two. Smelling blood, Bien blasted his AC20 right into the weak armor of the _Buccaneer_, slicing through internal structure, and destroying the power generator. The impact pushed the medium mech to skid for several meters before coming into a complete halt.

"If I'm going down," Bien gritted his teeth, "you're all going down with me!"

* * *

Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth,  
April 17, 3054

_The cave turned out to be more than just a military complex. It was a large research facility that was abandoned hundreds of years ago. Luckily for Bien and Felisanna, some of the documents were left untouched. Bien and Felisanna had to dig through piles of documents to finally understand the history behind the facility. And Bien recorded everything in his diary, in case he needed the information in the future._

_"This facility had been around since __Amaris era," Bien stated while flipping through pages. "Bowie Industries started this military lab, but the increasing instability forced them to halt this operation. They were waiting to the conflict to reveal its winner, but Amaris captured the head scientist and brought him to Geneva for questioning.  
"In this document it is revealed that the scientist's apprentice, a guy named Burke, was the one who betrayed the head scientist to the usurper's forces, a Judas Iscariot for Doering Electronics. When General Kerensky mowed down Amaris' power, Burke destroyed the original research to conceal his betrayal. This is the only surviving copy of the original data."_

_  
"What happened to Bowie Industries?" Felisanna asked._

_"They went out-of-business in the beginning of the 1st Succession War. They just abandoned the lab and hoped that in the future they will have enough funds to re-open the project. They covered the lab under a small town, and sold the land to settlers from New Avalon. There's a good chance that these settlers – who we have been calling natives – are still oblivious about this place."_

_"What are they doing here that is so secret?" Felisanna went closer to Bien. "Illegal weaponries?"_

_"What do you expect?" Bien unfolded several blueprints from the folder. Felisanna's eyes went wide as the schematic of battlemechs sprung open on the dusty table. _

_"Mechs? They're making new mechs?" she conveyed her curiosity._

_"Not just mechs," Bien replied. "Looking at these layouts, these are the new generations of mechs. They are light but strong, fast but heavily armed, and there's something I can't make out about human-machine interface. Looks like they're building a new neurohelmet system, maybe similar to Clan's EI. These new technology will surely give a new meaning to war."_

* * *

It was all about domination. Somehow the Word of Blake knew about the secret lab in Victoria, so they sent their troops to aquired it. Bien sneered with disgust. He took the aggression by whipping his twin lasers at the closest _Buccaneer_. Ruby energy blades speared the _Buccaneer_ on the midst, adding heat to the overheating mech. The medium mech managed to fire its lasers, but the excess heat made its targetting system inaccurate. Bien sidestepped the rushed attack, then shot a crippling attack with his AC20. The _Buccaneer_ cracked and staggered under the onslaught. The cannon shells sliced through the front armor, leaving the 55-ton mech defenseless. Bien charged forward and fired his short missiles. The _Buccaneer_ twisted left to block the attack with its side armor. Bien's missiles harassed the unscratched armor, sending ferro-fibrous chunks to every direction.

The remaining _Buccaneers_ launched a hefty counterattack. Bien's armor couldn't hold the attack anymore. The laser attacks cleanly went through the remaining armor, and Bien's engine burst into flame. The _Victor_ staggered to maintain balance, sending him tottering behind. Bien felt a massive headache. He knew his life was numbered, but he didn't care. If anything, he had been waiting for this moment, ready to reunite with Felisanna once and for all...

* * *

Victoria, New Avalon Combat Region,  
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth,  
August 29, 3057

_"Bien! We lost connection with the HPG system!"_

_Bien quickly ran toward his wife, wondering what the problem was. Old equipments were unreliable sometimes, and Bien grumbled. Perhaps a little bang on the top of the decoder would help. But Bien didn't know electronics well, and he was afraid he would make matters worse._

_"What is it? Connection problem?" he speculated._

_"I tried cleaning up the connections, and everything seemed working fine," Felisanna muttered in frustration. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to check the HPG station. Maybe the problem is not in our end."_

_"I don't know anything about this thing," Bien said._

_"I'll go," Felisanna replied. "You just stay here and try to find the problem with that damn thing. Keep your comset on. We'll coordinate once I get there."_

_"Okay," Bien took the screwdriver from Felisanna's hand and started meddling with the decoder. "Be careful out there."_

_And somehow Bien lost track of time, trying to find anything he could do to the decoder. The next thing he heard from his comset was Felisanna, half an hour later, "Bien, I picked up heat signatures from several battlemechs... Word of Blake? What is Word of Blake doing in here?"_

_"What?" Bien jumped from his seat. "Are you sure?" _

_"The one with the sword upside down... Word of Blake, isn't it? It's kinda strange because we dddzzzzz..."_

_"Felisanna... Felisanna!" Bien screamed in panic. "Felisanna, come in!"_

_But his comset went dead. Bien ran toward his Victor, quickly putting it into a full sprint while trying to establish communication line. His heart drummed in his ears, and his hands trembled. He had read about Word of Blake, and although they were just a small splinter of Comstar, they were uberly fanatic. Their presence here on Victoria made no sense at all, but again, they were uberly fanatic. _

_Could they be after the secret lab?_

_Arriving at the HPG complex, four mech signatures appeared in Bien's radar. One was Felisanna's _Wolfhound_. Spark burst from various parts of its body, as if the _Wolfhound_ was bleeding fire. The other three were _Buccaneers_, 55-ton mechs with large lasers as the primary weapons. As Felisanna's _Wolfhound_ lost power, one of the _Buccaneers_ stood erect and executed a hard, big swing toward the _Wolfhound's_ head. The hatchet sliced the _Wolfhound's_ neck, and in a second, the 35-ton mech blasted in flames._

* * *

The image of Felisanna's Wolfhound glowing in fire stabbed a painful barb on Bien's heart, more than the fire on his cockpit that started to consume the consoles. He conjured up every bit of energy he could muster and directed it to the engines. He brought his AC20 to bear, and aimed it as best as he could at the damaged _Buccaneer_. The pure energy blasts sent the _Buccaneer_ reeling, burning, spinning out of control. He watched as the 55-ton mech burst into flame.

"That's for Felisanna, you fanatic ass!" Bien exhaled sharply. Four _Buccaneers_ still loomed over, aiming squarely on his cockpit. He steadied his hand on the joystick and brought his targeting reticule to the square torso of another _Buccaneer_. Sneering, he humored himself and pressed the alpha-strike trigger, sending hot, pure energy from his guns toward the medium mech. A blinding fireball swelled from the _Buccaneer's_ torso, bleeding fire and ferro-fibrous chunks.

Then Bien saw a great, white ball of light.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

**Insert Title Here**

Part 1

**Note:** When I came up with Jeremy Stewart, I designed him as my Mary Sue character. Jeremy was rich, handsome, athletic, intelligent (although still immature), romantic, proficient in mech battle, and at some point I had him carry a katana (one of the main indications that a character is Mary Sue, according to Litmus). I feel bad for doing him 'injustice' in _We Are Cavaliers_. So this series is a l"make up" story for him, and possibly a backdoor to another long series if there is enough interest. As we all know, IK3 is closing, so I'm experimenting with new stories.

* * *

_**Starport, New St. Andrews,  
**__**December 3, 3066**_

Jeremy Stewart dragged his feet to climb the ramp of the dropship, hauling his backpack that felt heavier with each step. He carried nothing else; his backpack was stuffed with minimal amount of clothings and jeans, and another pair of sneakers. Interstellar travel lasted months, and Jeremy knew he didn't bring enough clothing for the entire trip, but he didn't care.

As the heir of Stewart family, one of the ruling families in New St. Andrews, Jeremy knew he was going to leave a legion of good life. His previous 20 years was full of sumptuous lifestyle, where everything he needed was carried over to his bed. His wish was his servants' commands, and he knew he wouldn't have that luxury in his new place. Nobody would acknowledge him as a prince, and he had to crawl as low as his servants. He knew what he would miss.

Yet he marched on nonetheless.

"My son," Jeremy's father called him. "Don't make a foolish decision. I built a throne for you. Your place is here. I beg you, listen to your old man. I need you. Stewart family needs you. You are my only hope to continue this empire."

Jeremy turned around, watching his father standing with hopeful eyes. He didn't want to leave New St. Andrews. But it was not his home anymore. Every scenery, every face he met on the street, every building, every place he went seemed to throw mockery at him over the fact that he was beaten by a stranger.

"There's nothing left for me in this world, father," he sighed. "This is not my home anymore."

"Because of a woman?" his father tottered toward him. "There are thousands other women that will appreciate you the way you deserve. That MacGregor girl doesn't deserve even a bit of you! Why are you still thinking about her?"

"I love her, father!" Jeremy roared. "I love her! And that damn Solaris jock robbed her from me!"

"Love is not for nobles, my son. Love is as obscure as greed, ambition, and bloodlust. Maybe you don't understand it now, but you'll get wiser with your age. But I tell you what... If you still want her, we can kill the Solaris jock and get her back for you. Just say it, and I'll make it happen."

"You don't get it, do you?" Jeremy rattled his teeth. "I want her to love me like I love her. And if she left me because I'm not as good as the Solaris champion, then I will be! I will be a better Solaris champion, maybe even become the Grand Champion, something that he had never been! If that's the cost of her love, then I will do it!"

"Don't be childish, Jeremy! You have greater things to think about other than love and Solaris!"

But Jeremy turned his back and walked into the dropship. "Goodbye, father. I'll see you when I'm the Grand Champion of Solaris."

* * *

_**Thor's Shieldhall, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**June 10, 3067**_

Some said that Thor's Shieldhall was the easiest place to get a contract for a beginner. High-profile stables and recruiting centers only focused on experienced mechwarriors. At Thor's Shieldhall, undiscovered talents and second-rated stables often combined to make a powerful team.

Jeremy knew that - despite his noble status - he was an unknown at Solaris. He read a lot of tales from Solaris where mechwarriors succumbed into oblivion because they regarded themselves too high. The number one reason of failure at Solaris was pride; greed was a close second. To be successful at Solaris, a mechwarrior had to play it right. That was why Jeremy chose Thor's Shieldhall as his starting point.

Thor's Shieldhall was at its usual afternoon frenzy. Half of the seats were occupied by mechwarriors boasting their exploits in the arena. Jeremy didn't care about the mechwarriors and their unrealistic stories. He focused on people that did not look like mechwarriors. They could be talent seekers or stable owners, or somebody that might have connections to the right person.

Two people in the corner caught his attention. They did not seem to be integrated with Solaris atmosphere. One of them was a big man, with thick moustache and crew-cut hair. The other one was a gaunt man with thick mullet. Half of his face was cybernetics, and he was sitting on a wheelchair. The two men talked seriously, oblivious about their environment.

"Miss," Jeremy asked the waitress. "Do you know those two gentlemen on the corner?"

"Why, yes," the waitress replied. "The one on the wheelchair is Major Tom, the owner of Ground Control stable. The one with the moustache is Stan, his best friend and captain of the stable. They're regulars here."

"Miss, get them another round of whatever they're having," Jeremy put some c-bills on the waitress' tray. "Make sure they know that I sent the drink."

"Alright," the waitress nodded knowingly, then went back to the counter. Jeremy waited until the waitress brought the drinks to the two men, then politely pointed at Jeremy. The two men looked at him, waved, then gestured him to come to their table. With a smile and a hope Jeremy came.

"Thank you for the drink," the cyborg in the wheelchair hoisted his glass. "I'm Major Tom. This is Stan."

"I'm Jeremy Stewart," Jeremy said as he took the seat between the two. "I'm from the Periphery. I'm looking for a place to start as a mech-athlete."

"Typical," Stan wheezed, "just like thousands other _mayflies_. Do you have any mech experience?"

"Some. I piloted a classic _Goliath_ for a while," Jeremy sipped from his glass. "I followed Solaris games intensely, and I've been dreaming of coming here and winning the Grand Championship. It's been my highest dream for years."

"Then you're talking to the wrong people," Stan huffed curtly. "Dreamers die young in Solaris."

"Pardon my friend," Major Tom quickly added. "What he's saying is most young mechwarriors shoot to win the Grand Championship, only to get beaten and forgotten. Sometimes going up too fast only makes you fall harder. My stable does not encourage such attitude. We are hardworkers that uphold human integrity above money and fame."

"Interesting," Jeremy replied. "I understand that success doesn't come overnight. That's why I start from Thor's Shieldhall instead of big stables like the O'Bannon Sisters'. I want to build a good foundation for my fighting style before I go for the big games. So... are you guys hiring?"

Major Tom and Stan looked at each other, and Jeremy knew he had found a place in their stable.

"We may have a place for you, but we have to see your skill," Major Tom replied. "Our stable is located at Lot 8675-309 on Montenegro District. Come by tomorrow and we'll give you an audition. If you pass, you can work for us."

"I look forward to it," Jeremy said as he finished his drink.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

**Rubber Match**

Part 2

**Note:** Work has been taking most of my time. I'm really sorry, especially if you're waiting for IK3. It'll be a while before I can update IK3 again. I don't have that much time, I really don't. I hope this little story can entertain you while waiting for IK3.

* * *

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**June 11, 3067**_

The stable was far from luxurious. It consisted of an office building, a living quarter, two garages, and a large field which was obviously the training ground. The field was covered by tall grass, almost as tall as Jeremy, and the fence was all stained. The number 8675-309 was almost obscurely printed on wall, buried under grafitti and traces of vandalism. Nevertheless, the complex stood proudly in the outskirt of Montenegro District.

Jeremy went to the hangar where he saw three people conversing in front of two _Chameleon_ mechs. One of them was a chubby Asian guy who donned his cap backwards. By the smear of grease on his face, Jeremy could see that he was a technician. The second one was a taut girl wearing a gun. She looked somewhat Asian, with her hair standing up in bleached blonde hue. The third turned out to be a robot. It towered over the other two, but the way it stood idly beside the tech while holding wrenches was a sign that the tech was its master.

"You must be Major Tom's interviewee," the chief tech greeted Jeremy. "I'm Kilroy, chief technician of Ground Control stable. This is my mechanical assistant, Mr. Roboto. He is the true _wizard_. Maybe it's because he's a robot, and only robot understands robot in the whole."

"I'm Jenny," the girl joined in. "I'm in charge of the security. Since the FedCom Civil War started, Solaris had become a virtual battleground for the two sides. You've seen how Steiner loyalist vandalized properties in Montenegro, just because Isis Marik's relation to Victor Davion. It's my job to keep vandals and crooks away from this complex."

"I see," Jeremy nodded. "So, Major Tom and Stan said there may be an opening for a new mechwarrior."

"Yeah, probably," Kilroy answered tactfully. "We've been hearing rumor that we are getting a new battlemech. There are 4 pilots in our stable, one for each class. The lightweight pilot is Mickey. He's fine, he won't blow your mind but he's young and inexperienced. He's piloting a _Jenner_. The medium-class pilot is Amber, a very talented but unlucky girl. Few can match her in her _Vindicator_. But I think her relationship with Mac hurts her career."

"Mac?" Jeremy frowned.

"Mac The Champ, that's what he calls himself. He's the best pilot of Ground Control stable. He reached the Grand Championship in '63, although words on the street said that he 'mojo-ed' his way up. You know, Grand Championship's wild cards are pretty much open for everybody, and underground mafia plays important roles on who's in and who's out."

"Really?" Jeremy's eyes widened. "Are you saying that Mac tied himself to the mob?"

"Nobody knows," Jenny replied. "Mac is very good but very ambitious, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Somehow he got himself into the championship, but he lasted less than a minute. Major Tom and Stan were not very happy with the result. It smears the reputation of Ground Control stable."

"I think that's the reason why Amber has a hard time in the arenas," Kilroy added. "Major Tom and Stan prefer the old-fashion way, while Mac is trying to tie her in with the mob for a boost in rank. The poor girl was caught in the middle of a tug-of-war, and I do think it affects her performance."

"So what's the story behind Major Tom and Stan?" Jeremy mused. "They seem to stick with the old-fashion way where everybody else relies on politics and manipulation to win the games."

"They were Marik Militia once," Kilroy explained. "They were two idealists who believed in Free World's old codes. They were sent to Sarna March in 3057 and met a fierce resistance from FedCom forces. Major Tom was severely injured, and although Stan could save his life, he was permanently disabled. Stan blamed the incident on the Davions and the Liaos. Major Tom was discharged from Marik Militia and founded Ground Control stable at Solaris, enlisting Stan as his first mechwarrior. Stan was a good mechwarrior, but since the tragedy of 3057 he had never reached his full potential. He fights in the assault class, but he never broke through the elite barrier."

"What do you know about the new mech?" Jeremy asked.

"I've been told that it is a Solaris-customed mech, available only through VEST," Kilroy looked at the two _Chameleons_. I don't know what class it is."

"Now what's your story, stranger?" suddenly Jenny asked.

Jeremy paused for a moment. He didn't want them to know his true intention to come to Solaris, so he conjured up a litany of lies about his interest in Solaris games. "What is there not to like at Solaris? The fame, the money, the immortality... I grew up watching Solaris greats like O'Bannon Sisters, Gray Norton, Kai Allard Liao, and many old legends of Solaris. Someday I want to be like them."

"I don't blame you," Kilroy blew a hard breath. "They're fun to watch, although newer generations are exiting too. You know, like Kyle and Parker. Their rivalry lasted for 4 years, and although they're both gone..."

Jeremy's ears turned red and his face flushed with rage. "Parker is a fake!" he croaked. "He's an abomination to Solaris games! He's pompous, deceitful, overrated, and Kyle Garret should've kicked his sorry ass back to Strana Mechty!"

Jeremy's sudden outburst sent Jenny and Kilroy spiralling into total confusion. Jeremy realized what he had done, and he was about to explain his action when five people arrived. He already met Major Tom and Stan. The girl next to Major Tom should be Amber. She was about Jenny's size, slim but muscular with her auburn hair hanging free, covering part of her shoulder. The man next to her was well built, with cut-out tank that flaunted his biceps. His eyes emanated superiority, and Jeremy could only recognize him as Mac The Champ. The last one was a gaunt teen, with spiky black hair and goofy smile.

"I see that you have met our chief tech and security officer," Major Tom said. "I take it that you have been informed about the rest of the mechwarriors."

"Stan, Mickey, Amber, and Mac The Champ," Jeremy replied. "Nice to meet you. My name is Jere..."

"You can tell me your name if you are invited into our stable," Mac cut him off. "So why don't you get on the _Chameleon_. I'll meet you on the field."

"You are not auditioning him, Mac!" Stan grumbled. "I am."

"And why shouldn't I?" Mac replied in a taunting manner. "I am the best mechwarriors you've got. I set the bar on how a newbie should be auditioned. This stable lives because of my earnings. Your mech repair cost comes from my winnings. Why shouldn't I be in the field kicking this newbie's ass?"

"That's enough!" Major Tom blurted. "Go ahead, Mac. You want the new kid, then you got him."

"That's not the way it was done, Major!" Stan grumbled with repugnance. "Since when you take his side?"

"I'm not taking anybody's side," Major Tom replied. As Mac conceitedly walked toward one of the _Chameleons_, he motioned Stan to get closer. "If you haven't noticed, there's a lot of rage inside Jeremy. I want to see it against Mac's cockiness. This should be an interesting fight."

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

**Rubber Match**

Part III

**Note:** I'll be out of town for 10 days, so I hope this little ficlet can fill in the gap. I promise, once I get back, I'll crank it up on IK3.

* * *

_**Ground Control Stable, Montenegro,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**June 11, 3067**_

Deep in his heart, Jeremy wanted to lunge at Mac and punch him in his face. Nobody had talked to him that way. He knew he was a nobody at Solaris, but it didn't give Mac the right to insult him. However, Jeremy realized that the best way to tame Mac was to beat him at his own game. Besides, brawling would only jeopardize his chance at winning the Grand Championship.

So Jeremy stripped his shirt and put on the cooling vest. He climbed into the cockpit of a _Chameleon_ and strapped himself. Through his canopy he watched as Amber attended Mac on the other _Chameleon_. The scene stirred a bittersweet memory. Jeremy pulled out a photo of him and a blonde woman holding hands, and stuck it beside his HUD. He paused and sighed, letting his mind filled with good memories of love and affection.

"Hmm... she is pretty," Kilroy suddenly appeared beside him. He switched some toggles under the HUD, then patted Jeremy's helmet. "Girlfriend? Fiancee? Wife? You're a lucky man."

"I wish," Jeremy scoffed. "Let's see if I'm lucky enough to pass this audition."

"I understand," Kilroy nodded. "You're not the first one to win a girl's heart through Solaris championships. The Ground Control stable is a perfect place to start. Stay off Mac's line of fire. He's a terrific shooter but a mediocre mover. I hope you win this contest and work everything out with her."

As Kilroy sealed off the canopy, Jeremy took one last gaze at the photo. _I will win this, Evee,_ he mumbled. _I will win the Grand Championship for you. Then maybe you'll love me_. He started the _Chameleon_. The mech sputtered and coughed before running full flow. Checking all the systems, Jeremy threw one last look at the photo before pushing his throttle forward and brought his mech to the center of the field, where Mac had been waiting.

"Alright, boy, this is a live-ammunition training," Mac's cocky voice invaded Jeremy's comlink. "Your mech will shut down automatically if I score a critical hit. This way we keep our mechs in good condition, barring armor and some damaged structures."

"I am ready," Jeremy replied. "Call the shot."

"You're brave," Mac raised his right arm, "but stupid."

Jeremy knew what Mac was thinking. He could try to outshoot Mac, but Kilroy had warned him about Mac's marksmanship. So Jeremy opted to flinch. He gunned his jets and tugged his joystick to the right, just as Mac's right arm blitzed in murderous hue. The red-hot beam strand grazed Jeremy's left hip. Sparks and smoke burst out of the wound.

Jeremy gritted his teeth as he fired his machine guns to distract Mac. The _Chameleon_ fired its medium lasers and darted toward Jeremy with its large laser pointing at Jeremy's head. Jeremy fired up his jets and aimed his medium lasers at Mac's head. Mac cringed to his right, but Jeremy had anticipated his move. He fired his large laser, knocking Mac squarely on the midst. A blinding flash burst, followed by a spray of molten armor.

As Mac tottered to regain balance, Jeremy pressed his attack. He trained all remaining lasers at Mac, but Mac outshot him. His large laser burst, followed by his mediums, slashing Jeremy's left arm. Jeremy felt his left arm explode. The _Chameleon_'s left arm was cleanly sliced, and Jeremy was forced to backpedal.

Losing an arm was clearly a critical hit, and for a second Jeremy thought he was beaten. But his _Chameleon_ kept on staggering back until he regained balance. All system worked, although his left medium laser went offline. Why would Mac say that his mech shut down upon critical hit when it obviously didn't? To screw him up? Jeremy didn't know. But the fact that his mech was still functioning was a sign that he had a chance.

Jeremy sprinted forward and fired his large laser at Mac's right torso before sliding to his right. Mac staggered to sustain the loss, but he quickly leapt to the sky and changed direction. Jeremy pumped out his machine guns, peppering Mac's face with .50-caliber bullets. Sparks burst out like a fountain, but the plexiglass stopped the bullets from mauling the cockpit.

"You're finished!" Mac yelled in frustration. "You're supposed to be shut down!"

"Your childish trick will not work on me," Jeremy grunted. "A man your caliber should not lower yourself to pull off such an immature act."

"I'm gonna get Kilroy fired!" Mac hollered. "Get out of the mech, you chump! You've been beaten!"

Then it dawned on Jeremy. Kilroy toggled some things before the match started. He must have disabled the shutdown system, and turned the _Chameleon_ into a full-blown battlemech. Jeremy didn't really want to win the game this way. But the urge to beat Mac was bigger than his fair-play attitude. Besides, if he failed this audition, the road to Grand Championship would become harsher, and it would take him longer to win his love back.

"My mech is still working, so stop whining like a little girl and fight me!"

Mac dove into the battle and attacked Jeremy with his lasers. A ruby light whipped out of Mac's right arm and streaked toward Jeremy's head. Jeremy gunned his engine, making his _Chameleon_ jump sideways. The red flash missed the target, incinerating a thicket on the field. One third of the tall grass engulfed in flames. Jeremy made a tight turn to the left as another stream of red energy swooshed on his right, almost cutting his right arm. Jeremy kept running around, avoiding swarm after swarm of energy blasts.

Jeremy waited until Mac overheated, then roared his machine guns. Mac, busy charging Jeremy, was caught off guard, and only his superior reflex saved him from getting slugged in the cockpit. Jeremy fired his alpha strike, turning Mac's torso armor into red-hot jelly. It staggered on its feet, its knee wobbled, and sparks burst from its midsection like a fountain. But Mac wouldn't give up. He regained control, and posed a fighting stance, facing Jeremy.

Jeremy didn't know if Mac's _Chameleon_ would shut down upon a critical hit, but he didn't want to stay put to find out. He gunned his jets and pushed his leg forward. His foot slammed into Mac's center torso which was still fuming from the alpha strike. The sudden impact proved to be too much for Gael. He quickly lost his balance and slump to the ground.

But the impact put too much stress to Jeremy's _Chameleon_. The leg armor buckled and the internal structures burst into the open, crippled under the enormous compression. The signal feedback from his neurohelmet made his stomach churn. Jeremy landed on the grass, quivering, barely able to stand up. He fought hard to steady up his mech using only one foot, then raised all weapons to anticipate another attack from Mac.

Mac's _Chameleon_ never got back up.

Slowly Jeremy opened up his hatch and climbed out, thinking that he might have passed the test. Amber, Kilroy and Mr. Roboto helped Mac getting out of his _Chameleon_, while the rest of the stable watched from the distance. Mac was clearly pissed. He started yelling at Kilroy before Major Tom and Stan interferred.

"He should've been dead on my second strike!" Mac roared at the top of his lung. "Only because Kilroy and his toy screwed up on the shut-down sequence that Jeremy managed to keep fighting! There's no way a fresh punk like Jeremy can beat me! I win this contest!"

"Battlemechs are only machines, Mac!" Major Tom replied. "Malfunction does and will happen. If it happens to you during Solaris game, does anybody care? No! So suck it up."

"I demand a rematch!" Mac gritted his teeth. "I want a duel with unaltered mechs! Let's see if he can beat me without Kilroy's inapt hands!"

"Hey, don't blame the tech!" Kilroy snapped back. "Jeremy is better than you! It's as simple as that!"

"You're lucky to be working here!" Mac deflected his frustration at Kilroy. "Nobody wants you out there, and I'll make it my business that you're leaving Ground Control stable!"

"Enough!" Major Tom yelled. "Kilroy works here. So will Jeremy."

Mac looked at Kilroy with venom in his eyes, then turned to Jeremy. "This is not over, punk! We will meet again, and that's a promise!"

As Mac left briskly, Jeremy stripped his neurohelmet and came to Major Tom's attention, unsure about what he had to do next. "I don't expect to create friction among you," he said, trying to be corteous. "I want this job, but Mac is your best pilot. Maybe it's better..."

"You only hurt his ego," Major Tom replied. "It's good for him to have a little humility. I see that you are as adept as Mac behind battlemech's cockpit. If you want to work hard for Ground Control stable, then the job is yours. I can't offer you fame and money in a short time, but if you can build yourself, you can achieve anything you want."

"Thank you," Jeremy nodded.

As the crowd dismissed themselves, Jeremy turned to Kilroy, Mr. Roboto, and Jenny. By the way they held back their smile, Jeremy knew that they were responsible to what happened with his _Chameleon_ earlier in the fight. Or to be exact, Kilroy was responsible and Jenny knew it. But he chose not to blow it up into the open. He was already disgusted by the way Mac treated him, and he could understand how Kilroy and Jenny felt about Mac.

"You're now a part of us, kid," Kilroy grinned. "Just watch your back. Mac will come back to you in a big way. But we'll look out for you."

"Thank you," Jeremy nodded his approval. "So..." he paused a moment, looking at Kilroy and Jenny before continuing, "where do I start?"

"The pub, across the street," Jenny smiled. "Come on, we're buying."

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

**Innocence Lost**

**Note:** I don't know the exact date of Capellan invasion to Styk Commonality, so the date is based off _Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries_. If anybody knows any exact date, I'd appreciate it if you let me know.

* * *

_**Styk, Styk Commonality  
**__**March 4, 3066**_

Sang-wei Tiger Wong perched atop a hill overlooking a village. His _Warhammer_ was not equipped with sophisticated radar, but it was not hard to see military hardware scattering among civilian encampments. J27 ordnances were camouflaged to look like cargo haulers, but nothing could fool Tiger's trained eyes. He knew the J27 ordnances contained ammunitions and weapons for tanks and battlemechs. The problem was he didn't see the battlemechs. He knew they were there, he just couldn't see it.

It was the problem with guerilla war. Since CCAF invaded Styk, the entire planet turned into a war zone, including civilian villages that were supposed to be free from war. But Styk Commonality knew they wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty Capellan Army in an open battle. They had to use every tactic to hold Sun Tzu's advance, even if they had to use their own families as shields.

_What a sad fact of humanity_, Tiger thought.

"Hawk Actual, this is Kuan-Ti lance," Tiger hailed his superior. "I have visual contact with the village. Confirming intelligence report… half a dozen J27 ordnances are spotted. No battlemechs or tanks in sight. Negative contact with any other military units."

"This is Hawk Actual," Sao-shao Chan, Tiger's CO, quickly replied. "Good job, Sang-wei. Viper Squadron has its hands full against Lindon Battalion in the south. You have to do it alone. Destroy the village."

"Destroy the village?" Tiger cringed. "Sao-shao, there are civilians in the village! I'm not even sure if I can destroy the ordnances without harming non-combatants."

"The village has been a Davion frontier for a long time," Chan sneered sharply. "Duke Kenon Wang Chung has turned the entire village into a guerilla cell. We are at war, Wong. There are no such things as non-combatants. Destroy the village. If you're lucky, you might kill Duke Wang Chung. Then you can collect your medal because of it."

Tiger felt his stomach churn. As a graduate of Sian University, he was a believer of psy-war and diplomacy to beat his enemy, and weapons were only used in the inevitable. Years of Tao study made him respect human lives, including that of enemy troops. He was proud to be a Capellan soldier. It was unfortunate that he was assigned to Sao-shao Chan, a ruthless glory hunter that put victory above everything else.

"With all due respect, Sao-shao, there are civilians on the village!" Tiger snarled. "CCAF doctrines do not allow us to open fire at civilians!"

"There are enemies on the village, Wong!" Chan fired back. "CCAF doctrines allow you to decimate the enemies with any means necessary! If you do not destroy the enemy, then you disregard CCAF doctrines! Don't make me send the Viper Squadron in your incompetent stead, Wong! Destroy the village! That's an order!"

It was a difficult situation for Tiger. Viper Squadron would carpet-bomb the village until nothing would be left standing. But if he didn't want the Viper Squadron to do it, he had to do it himself. As much as he didn't want to hit civilians, it was better to do it himself than the Viper Squadron under Chan's command.

"Call off the Viper Squadron," he finally signaled Chan. "I will destroy the village, Sao-shao."

"If you ever defy my command again, Wong, I'll have your ass at a martial court," Chan sounded off, then killed the connection.

"Sang-wei, we're not going to destroy the village, are we?" Tiger's second-in-command, a young mechwarrior named Liong, called him. "This is just wrong. Chan's going to give Capellan a bad rep because of this. Nobody likes mass murderers."

"I have no choice, Liong," Tiger sighed. "If we don't, the Viper Squadron will. It'll be hard to minimize civilian casualties with carpet bombing."

"How are you going to minimize casualties?" Wuen, his fire support, tuned in. "Their military equipments are buried inside civilian structures. I'm not taking Chan's side, Sang-wei, but the Styk Commonality should not put their weapons among non-combatants. They know the risk, yet they do it to themselves."

"You are right, Wuen, but that doesn't mean we can wreak havoc as we pleased," Tiger replied. "We will destroy the city, but we will not kill the civilians. Kuan-Ti lance, form up on me. Mao, fire a warning salvo above their heads. Let them know that we are here."

Mao, the lance's sniper, brought his _Vindicator_ to the highest point of the hill. Liong's _Men Shen_ and Wuen's _Catapult_ lined up with Tiger's _Warhammer_. Tiger turned to active radar, seconds before Mao's PPC flew high across the village like a blue thunderbolt.

The shot quickly turned the village into chaos. Civilians and infantries ran to the street, carrying anything they could bring. The foot soldiers tried to move the J27 ordnances, but with so many civilians on the streets, the J27 could not move quickly. They were trapped behind a mass of civilians trying to get out of the way.

"Hold your fire!" Tiger commanded before his lance could shoot the J27. "Wait until the ordnances clear the civilians. Then we'll move in."

Some quick-thinking infantries grabbed shoulder-mounted SRM and tried to attack the Kuan-Ti lance, but the Capellans were too far away. Suddenly Tiger's radar picked up heat signatures from 4 different locations. Two _Uziel_ and 2 _Chimera_ mechs emerged from buildings.

"Sang-wei?" Mao croaked. "What's your order?"

"Those are Davion mechs," Tiger stated while bringing his PPCs up. "I have no problem shooting at mechs, especially when they are Davion's. Kuan-Ti lance! Fire at will!"

As soon as his crosshair burned yellow, Tiger fired his PPCs. The twin bolt lashed the nearest _Uziel_ squarely on the right torso. The 50-ton mech twitched and twisted, weathering the impact and heat from the bolts. Pieces of armor burst like a geyser. Tiger was careful enough not to shoot the _Uziel's_ center, lest the mech exploded in the middle of the crowd. He knew he was risking counterattack from the _Uziel_, but he didn't want to kill any unarmed civilian.

The _Uziel_ steadied itself then launched its own PPCs. One bolt grazed Tiger's _Warhammer_ on the shoulder. Tiger's HUD blinked in static for 1 full second, and when everything went back online, he lost his weapon status display. The _Uziel_'s shot only chipped a few layers of armor, but the particle surge fried some of his electronics. Acrid smoke made Tiger dizzy.

The air conditioning kicked in, and Tiger quickly realigned his crosshair with the _Uziel's_ right torso. He fired his left PPC, followed by his right a second later. The cascaded shots drilled the _Uziel's_ torso and torched the machine gun bins. Tongues of flame ripped the _Uziel's_ right torso and breached the arm, along with the PPC. The 50-ton mech staggered hard, compensating the loss of mass.

As the _Uziel_ reeled, Tiger took his time assessing the situation. His lance mates did a good job on their shots and kept them centered on the mechs. Liong's double pulse lasers ripped a _Chimera_ with calculated shots to the torso, keeping the fast mech from firing counterattack. Wuen pounded the other _Uziel_ with his missiles, alternating between his left and right. And Mao had much success in sniping the last _Chimera_. The 45-ton mech lost its right arm and left leg, and now limping away from the battlefield.

"Target is turning back, Sang-wei," Mao stated. "Should I proceed?"

"Negative, stay in your position," Tiger replied. "The mechs are not our objectives. Snipe the J27, but only if they have cleared the civilians."

The _Uziel_ squirmed and fired again, raking Tiger's search light. The sound of twisted metal reverberated in the cockpit. The HUD warped once again, but this time nothing was damaged. Tiger steadied his mech and waited for his gun to recycle, ready to put an end to the duel.

There was no knowing when the PPCs were ready, so Tiger mashed his trigger several times. The guns finally barked, sending azure bolts toward the _Uziel's_ center torso. The _Uziel_ twisted to minimize impact, but one bolt blasted its chest. The Davion mech shook hard, then decided it was enough. It turned and hobbled away from Tiger's range, following the civilians and the J27 ordnance to go out of the village.

As the other mechs followed suit, Tiger called Mao, "Did you get the J27?"

"Negative, Sang-wei," Mao replied. "I have a clear shot, but the ordnances were still too close to the civilians. They're using their own families to cover their ammunitions. What do you want me to do?"

Tiger let out an exasperating grunt. The Styk Commonality was no better than Sao-shao Chan. They were willing to sacrifice civilians to guard their military assets. Tiger didn't want to let the Styk troops go, but he knew he couldn't do that without collateral damage.

"Stand down," Tiger sighed. "Let them go."

"Sang-wei, those trucks carry ammunitions," Wuen pointed out. "You're letting go their war assets."

"At least we have the village," Tiger closed his eyes. "Wait until they have cleared the village, then burn everything down. I don't want a single building me…"

"Kuan-Ti lance, this is Sao-shao Lin of the Viper Squadron," a female voice suddenly interrupted Tiger. "Stay away from the village, Sang-wei. We're coming inbound, ETA 1 minute and 30 seconds."

Tiger was completely mortified. Wasn't Chan supposed to call the squadron if he agreed to destroy the village? "Sao-shao Lin, there are still civilians in the village! Abort! Abort!"

"Negative, Sang-wei. We need the village taken out. Stay out. I don't want to hit your lance."

"No, Sao-shao! Abort! Abort!" But deep in his heart, Tiger knew it was too late. Chan wanted everything destroyed, and he knew Tiger wouldn't have the heart to follow his order. Tiger could only watch as the crowd from the village drifted away, guarded by the crippled mechs, oblivious to their fate.

The Viper Squadron came like a hurricane. Dozens of _Mechbusters_ swooped over the village, dropping hundred-pound incendiary bombs all over. In an instance the city went up like a bonfire, taking with it infantries and civilians that were not quick enough to leave on time. But the Viper Squadron didn't stop there. They hunted down the four mechs and the J27 ordnances and dropped their bombs in the vicinity. The Viper Squadron only stopped when they were sure that nothing was left of the Styk Commonality.

It was too horrendous for Tiger to watch, but he knew he had to take evidence of Chan's atrocities. He kept his battleROM running, taking every image of the Viper Squadron mauling the Styk Commonality. Someone had to do something about this. Chan must pay for his action!

It was already late when Chan brought the rest of the company to occupy the village, or what was left of it. Not a single building was left standing. Everything was burnt down to the ground. Tiger could still smell burning flesh when he dismounted his _Warhammer_ to report to Chan. At this point, he was too ashamed to be in a Capellan battlemech.

"Too bad Duke Kenon Wang Chung had left the village long time ago," Chan said as Tiger came to report. "Intel said he brought his family to Solaris. What a loser. I'd love to scrape his remains off my shoes after I trundle along this village for sometime."

"I told you I'd destroy the village!" Tiger gritted his teeth. "You called the Viper Squadron even after I said I would do it! I have a proof that you are disregarding human rights, Sao-shao! I will send it to the martial court. I will make sure you pay for what you did!"

"Wrong, Sang-wei," Chan grimaced. "CCAF will only dismiss this baseless tirade of yours! I have a job, and I make sure I accomplish my job so Capellan can win this war. I give Capellan what it wants! Who are you? You are just a wimp that complain about civilians rather than do your job. So go ahead, send your proof to provost, or to Sun Tzu for all I care. See who gives a damn about it."

As Chan turned away, Tiger buried his head in his palm. Of course, CCAF would stand behind Chan. Styk Commonality had been a thorn in Capellan's flesh for far too long. The Commonality's fall was the prize of Capellan's thirst of domination against the Davions. Who would care about several hundreds of civilians getting killed in the process?

"Sang-wei," Liong and Wuen came to offer consolation. "There's nothing we can do."

Tiger sighed in defeat. If only everything was different…


	21. Chapter 21

**Independence Day**

**Note**: Sometimes I need a break from the long, intricate plot of _Rubber Match_ and have a go at a simple, furious, unadulterated battlemech action. Battle of Luthien seems fit the bill, and also correspond nicely with July 4, hence the title. So please enjoy and happy Independence Day.

This story is inspired by the last mission of _Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries_.

* * *

_**Kado Guchi Valley, Luthien,  
**__**Pesht District, Draconis Combine,  
**__**January 6, 3052**_

"They are coming! The Jaguars are coming!"

Tai-i Fujita drew a deep breath, wiping sweat off his brows. He hasn't fired a single shot, but he already felt like he was sitting in a sauna. His fear was eating his nerves. And the fact that his company stood in a single column on his left and right didn't give him the slightest composure. Not even his samurai-like _Hatamoto-Chi_. And definitely not the damn mercenary Kell Hounds above his head did the same.

Across the valley, the 31st Jaguars were coming.

Fujita had run countless hours of simulation time in Sun Zhang Academy. He was forged in sweat and blood to prepare for this day, because DCMS believed that the Clans would come back someday. This was what he was trained for. Still, nothing felt like sitting in a real battlemech, facing real death. He thought he was ready. It turned out that he wasn't, and possibly never would be.

"Heads up, Kuritans! Toads are coming your way!"

_Toads_. Nothing prepared the Inner Sphere against the armored infantries. For hundreds of years everybody believed that battlemechs were the kings of the battlefield. Then along came the Clans with their nasty little buggers they called _Elementals_, and the rule of war changed forever. The toads were hard to shoot, exceedingly more agile, and very effective against Spheroid's bulky battlemechs.

Fujita's radar blinked in furious red. _Elementals_ raced from the far end of the valley toward his hill, eating the distance with remarkable speed. Kell Hound's aerofighters did their best to strafe the ground, but the size of the _Elementals_ made it difficult to score a hit. The valley went alive with fireballs and mushroom clouds, but the _Elementals_ kept coming.

"On my mark!" Fujita's heart pumped twice his normal rate. He grazed his thumbs on his triggers, ready to unleash his firepower for the first time. However he had no fixed targets. His hand shook hard as they reached 600-meter mark, sprinting and jumping in formation and maneuver alien to him. Every time he locked on one, the other blocked his view, canceling his lock in the process. But Fujita knew he had to shoot. What he hit wouldn't matter.

"Fire at will!" he commanded, and his words were followed by missiles, laser bolts, and autocannon rounds from his company. The strafe hit the valley in such a force that a wall of flame burst from the ground, reaching the sky with its reddish tip. No direct hit were scored, but the shockwave staggered the Jaguar's formation. Some of them were thrown off their feet, others swayed and gimped away. Fujita's PPC found a toad and smashed its chest. The toad engulfed in azure charge storm, then crashed to the ground.

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" Fujita mashed his triggers, sustaining the heat, but he had been sweating since he came to Kado Guchi Valley. Energy and ballistic traces danced in the air, peppering the Jaguar's formation, and as they got closer they started getting direct hits. Body parts started to fill the air, and the ground turned color to dark red. Each explosion was coupled with a burst of fluid and gristle, and half of the _Elementals_ had been wiped out.

Yet they still kept coming.

The closest _Elemental_ dodged the ballistic hail and jumped at a _Battlemaster_. It grabbed the mech's head, burst the wide plexiglass canopy, and singed the cockpit. The _Battlemaster_ jerked as the head blasted, spitting cockpit parts and charred flesh. The _Elemental_ gracefully jumped off the head, seconds before the Battlemaster tumbled like a log.

Two _Elementals_ clung to Fujita's left arm and started peeling off the armor. Fujita flailed his arm, trying to get them off his mech with no effect. The two _Elementals_ had reached the internal structures and started aiming at the power lines. Panic, Fujita reached of his left arm and grabbed one of the _Elementals_. He hurled it as hard as he could, sending it spiraling and crashing down back into the valley.

The other one jumped from his left arm to the head. Its mighty claw stabbed the Hatamoto-Chi right at the bridge. Plexiglass chips stormed into the cockpit, and for the first time Fujita came face to face with the dreaded infantry. Through the _Elemental's_ visor Fujita looked into the infantry's eyes. They were dark, mean, full of vengeance. Its stare seemed to stop Fujita's heart from beating, even for a split second.

"Get off my land!" Fujita screamed and drew his Mydron. He fired a single round at the _Elemental's_ visor. The drab-shaded plexiglass shattered, and although the bullet didn't go through, the _Elemental_ warrior was stunned. Fujita yelled and fired his sidearm again and again. The visor turned red, and blood sprayed from the slit on top of the _Elemental_ suit. The power armor shook and quivered, then sloshed out of the cockpit, back to the ground.

Fujita leaned on his command couch, gulping for air in frantic pants. It was the closest he was to death, and if his reflex didn't kick in on time, he would've shared the same fate with the _Battlemaster_ pilot. Staring into an _Elemental's_ eyes and live to tell the tale was certainly a death-cheating experience, but he wouldn't want the second time. Once was enough.

When he regained composure, Fujita observed the battlefield. His company had been disarrayed. Everybody stopped shooting and had been dealing with _Elementals_. A _Mauler_ and a _Marauder_ had fallen with burning cockpits, but the rest of his company seemed to be in good condition. The _Elementals_ dismantled some weapons from the other mechs before the Kuritans slaughtered them.

"Regroup!" Fujita ordered, and switched to long-range radar. From the thick cloud of smoke came out their omnimechs. Fujita counted two _Mad Cats_, three _Lokis_, and two _Thors_. The Kell Hound aerofighters had scored some hits on them, evident from the cracks and scars on their armor. But they marched on as if the scars didn't bother them a bit.

Fujita felt his stomach churn. Many people had said that Clan battlemechs were not unstoppable. But still, Fujita couldn't picture himself escaping those monsters. Tyra Myraborg? Lucky blow. Kai on Twycross? Anomaly. Snowbird on Planting? Fluke. Those were few that escaped Clan battlemechs, as opposed to thousands that fell under their feet. This was the hard reality.

But Fujita wouldn't go down without a fight. It was a samurai's fate to die in combat, and Fujita wanted to fulfill his fate as a warrior of Draconis Combine. The Clan invaded Luthien, and even if they were destined to win, they wouldn't get Luthien easy. It was the only thing Fujita could do.

"Imperial City is behind us," Fujita rallied his troops. "If they get through, DCMS will fall into the hands of the Clans. Do not let them pass. Stand your ground at all cost! Die with honor! For the Coordinator!"

"For the Coordinator!" his comrades replied in unison.

"Concentrate fire on the _Mad Cats_!" Fujita ordered. "Give it all you got! Open fire!"

Once again ballistics and energy bolts poured down on the inbound Jaguars. The _Mad Cat_s crisscrossed their path, but the torrential firepower didn't give them enough room to escape. Their armor, already thinned out by the Kell Hounds, blasted and flew in every direction. The laser and PPC bolts melted the remaining armor and thrust deep into the structure. Fire quickly broke out on and around the generators, and the _Mad Cats_ buckled under the Kuritan's punishment.

But this time, the Clan fired back from the distance. The _Mad Cat_'s missiles, coupled by the _Thors_' PPC, zipped across the valley and slammed home at an_ Awesome's_ broad chest. The deadly accuracy quickly turned the mech into a burning hulk. Armor bits sprayed like a geyser, and the 80-ton mech staggered.

Fujita lined up his crosshair at a _Mad Cat's_ shoulder and fired off. His twin bolts drilled the _Mad Cat's_ torso like hot knives through butter, pulling a large crack all the way to the back. Fujita's comrades picked up what he left. Multiple laser shots ripped the cracks wider, and a single autocannon hit was all it took to blow up. The _Mad Cat_ disintegrated in a fireball.

The _Thors_ sent their answers at the _Awesome_, still reeling from the previous attack. Their PPCs again struck the same spot as before, shutting down the _Awesome's_ central control. A single laser blast from the remaining _Mad Cat_ gutted its center torso, and the subsequent missile attack torched the SRM bins. The _Awesome_ exploded in furious color, matching that of the Jaguar's _Mad Cat_ several seconds before.

Meanwhile, the _Lokis_ had come to range and started to bring their autocannons to bear. At close range, LBX20 cannons had few rivals. The muzzle booms echoed throughout the valley, followed by explosions and flying limbs. A _JaggerMech_ leaned to its left when its leg was wobbled by such firepower. The mass shift breached the leg, and the stocky mech crashed to the ground legless.

Fujita switched his target to the nearest _Loki_ and hit alpha strike. All but one PPC bolt connected to the _Loki's_ body. The Clan mech jolted, staggered by the impact of both missiles and particle charge. A bad gash on the front armor blossomed as it teetered. Fujita didn't know how his PPC affected the _Loki's_ electronics, but at such range, it wouldn't matter. He had to kill the _Loki_ one way or the other.

Fujita started to circle the _Loki_ when a single blast hammered him from the right. One of the _Thors_ had singled him out. Lucky for him, his armor stopped the blast and his electronics were still intact. Fujita forgot the fact that Clanfolks would not gang up on somebody, unless their enemies started it. He should've had taken advantage of that weird code of honor. He just wanted to swarm the Clan mechs with firepower. Now two mechs were on him, and he knew he was in big trouble.

Regaining balance, Fujita concentrated fire on the _Thor_. Waste heat swept the cockpit, and Fujita dumped a third of his coolant, taking down the heat level two notches. Molten armor sprayed like blood when his PPCs hit the _Thor's_ chest. The 70-ton mech backpedaled, coping with the impact. Fujita followed suit with his SRMs. Half of the missiles crashed into the _Thor's_ hip. The Clan mech lurched further, almost failing, if not because of the mechwarrior's superior reflex.

Fujita turned toward the Loki, but he was one step behind. The muzzle flash of the LBX20 blinded him, and the entire cockpit roared in trembling quake. His console burst, and before he realized, a piece of plastic lodged into his shoulder, pinning him to his command couch.

"_Kuso_… Argh!" Fujita winced, straining to sustain the sharp sting on his left shoulder. His left arm trembled, and the warm fluid trickled down his arm. He reached left to grab the piece off his shoulder, but the slightest move would turn his vision dark. He reached down to his ejection lever, but it wouldn't budge. Something held it tightly in place. Without the ability to eject, Fujita knew he just had to finish the fight, whatever the outcome might be.

The shadow of the _Thor_ loomed in the distance, and Fujita hit his alpha strike button. The heat almost took his consciousness away, but he still found the strength to watch one of his PPC bolts landed on the _Thor's_ left shoulder. The missile launcher, packed with incendiary rounds, went off in flames, and half of the _Thor's_ shoulder disintegrated, leaving only burning void. The sudden loss of mass was too much for the mechwarrior to compensate. The _Thor_ leaned and stumbled.

But the _Loki_ was still up. Lasers ate the remaining armor on the torso, and the LBX20 once again ripped the _Hatamoto-Chi_ like cardboard. Fujita didn't have the strength to keep his mech standing. For all he cared, he was already dead. As the mech careened lower and lower, Fujita braced for impact. In a desperate move he yanked his joystick backward. The _Hatamoto-Chi_ doubled over, preventing it from falling face down. The quake almost broke his straps.

The _Loki_ moved in for the kill, but two _Wolverines_ stabbed it from behind. The heavy mech jerked forward, then turned around toward one of the _Wolverines_. The Kuritan didn't have a chance to escape when the big LBX20 cannon barked with the rest of the lasers. The _Wolverine's_ chest exploded, throwing the limbs spinning in air. The other _Wolverine_ quickly turned away.

Fujita, torn between life and death, saw a small opportunity to kill the _Loki_ bastard. He put his mech back on its feet and charged the _Loki_. By the time the Clan mech turned to face him, Fujita's right arm had came close to its cockpit. Wasting no time, Fujita hit his trigger, singeing the Loki's cockpit in a blue firestorm. The 65-ton mech hobbled aimlessly, swaying left and right, then collapsed and fell to the ground.

Fujita didn't know if he was able to continue. The stinging pain on his shoulder took most of his consciousness, and his mech was badly shot up. Out of 12 mechs in his company, 9 were incapacitated. Only a _Wolverine_, a _Catapult_, and his _Hatamoto-Chi_ remained standing. Fortunately, it was the last mech that tried to break through Kado Guchi Valley. Kell Hounds managed to hold the rest of the Jaguars on the other side of the valley.

"Congratulation, Kuritans," the Kell Hound hailed him. "You have kept your Imperial City safe. Looks like the rest of the Jaguars are retreating."

"_Domo_, mercenary," Fujita replied weakly. "The Clans are all but unstoppable."

"You got that right, Kuritan," Kell Hound answered him with a chuckle. "You got that right."

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

**Innocence Retribution**

**Note**: I'm still in the mood of Styk – Capellan confrontation, so here's the sequel to _Innocence Lost_. This time, the story is told from the Commonality's and Lindon Battalion's point of view. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_**Stillgar Pass, Styk,  
**__**Styk Commonality,  
**__**May 3, 3066  
**__**1530 hours**_

The bumpy road on Stillgar Pass felt like challenging Silvio's patience. The cushion in his _Swift Wind_ had lost its effectiveness, practically allowing the cold hard steel to hammer his ass when the _Swift Wind_ hit a hole. Silvio could have taken a more leisure cruise, but he had a mission. His next Nav point was still 40 clicks away, and he was already late for the rendezvous.

_Why would the Capellans take this road?_ Silvio mentally cursed as the interior of the Swift Wind rattled. _It's narrow and high in the mountain, and battlemechs would've had hell to have to climb this high_. Sometimes Silvio didn't understand his CO. But he knew it wasn't his CO's order he was carrying. His CO was greatly influenced by the Lindon Battalion, and Lindon Battalion was greatly influenced by Davion. It was Davion's doctrine to use every back doors and passes to outflank the enemies. For all he cared, he could've been carrying Rudolph Shakov or Kyle Garrett's order.

Or George Hasek's. Everybody knew about Hasek's paranoia.

The next Nav point was still 22 kilometers way when suddenly his radar beeped. Multiple battlemech signatures appeared in his HUD, and they were not friendlies. Quickly Silvio turned to passive mode and opted for visual contact. He steered off the pass and ground his wheels on the rocky cliff. His _Swift Wind_ strained to climb the steep hill, but Silvio's skill finally won the contest.

From the height, it was not hard for Silvio to spot a line of battlemechs in the distance. He couldn't make the insignia, but he could see the composition. All but four were heavy mechs, and the rest were mediums with long-ranged, hard-hitting weapons. The lead mech was a brand new _Lao Hu_ painted in fire scheme, which was in contrast with the tundra vegetation.

_I'll be damned_, Silvio muttered to himself.

"Dragonfly actual, this is Dragonfly one," Silvio reported. "I have visual contact… repeat… visual contact with a Capellan heavy company, bearing two-five-niner, speed 40 kph. Unable to see the markings, but the lead is a _Lao Hu_ with fire camo. They are cruising parallel to Stillgar Pass."

A commotion broke out in the background before somebody came back, "Dragonfly one, this is Actual. It doesn't make any sense. What is Capellan doing in Stillgar Pass?"

"I'm not here to find out, Actual," Silvio was a bit frustrated. "I'm reporting what I see. Give me Captain Gant, please!"

It took them almost a minute to give the jittery Silvio a standing order, "Dragonfly One, stand by…"

* * *

_**Styk Commonality – Lindon Battalion Joint HQ,  
**__**Grimmoiré Field, Styk,  
**__**Styk Commonality,  
**__**May 3, 3066  
**__**1535 hours**_

Captain Joshua Gant dragged his feet on a muddy soil toward the radio tent. News about Dragonfly One spotting a large group of Capellan battlemechs turned the base into frantic. Good for them, because Dragonfly One found the Liaos by sheer dumb luck. The Commonality CO didn't exactly know what he was doing. No wonder Dragonfly One asked for him instead of his own superior.

As an elite Lindon Battalion soldier, Joshua had to swallow his frustration while working with the Commonality soldiers. These locals were disorganized, disoriented, and fought like thugs instead of organized fighting force. Without Lindon Battalion (and Davion logistics) Styk Commonality would've fallen to Capellan hands on one sweep.

"What's the sitrep?" Joshua croaked as he burst into the radio tent.

"Dragonfly One spotted a company of Capellan mechs," Captain Jung, Joshua's counterpart from Styk Commonality, stated indiscriminately. "The lead mech is a fire-cammoed _Lao Hu_..."

"Chan," Joshua hissed, clutching his hands so tightly his knuckles turned white. It was still vivid in his memory when Sao-shao Chan of Capellan Confederation saturated-bombed an entire town – including 4 Lindon's battlemechs – just to get Commonality's ammo trucks. The memory of losing four young troops in a massacre made Joshua mad. The young lads were surrounded by heavy firepower, and Chan didn't even give them a chance to surrender.

But his hatred toward the Capellan loose cannon harkened back a year before when Chan tried to saturated-bomb Duke Wang Chung and his daughter, with which Joshua had a secret affair. Joshua had to sacrifice a lance so little Miss Wang Chung could get off Styk with his father. Thinking her taut rack and tight ass almost got burnt by the Capellans filled his mind with vengeance. Now could be a perfect chance to strike a dagger at Chan's heart.

"There are 2 ports about 100 kilometers from the end of Stillgar Pass," Captain Jung laid out a holographic map of the vicinity. "One holds a coolant factory for our battlemechs, the other keeps logistics for our artillery units. Looks like Chan is trying to strike them at once."

"What force do you have in the vicinity?" Joshua asked.

"Not much. There's an artillery unit stationed at the one of the ports, Ricosville, and a helicopter reserve that I can deploy within 5 minutes. Our battlemechs were too far away, and even if I could deploy them, they were no match against Chan's army."

Joshua didn't answer. He observed the map really carefully for one full minute, trying to set up a trap for Chan. He had only the Hammer Lance free to intercept Chan. Added with the Commonality's chopper and artillery squad, he was still short of firepower. He had to use Stillgar Pass.

"I want your choppers to back up my battlemechs," Joshua divulged his plan. "Chan's heavy mech would have a tough time climbing the mountain to Stillgar Pass, so he'll send his mediums and fast heavies to deal with my mech. Once they leave the pack, rain your artillery down on Chan's main unit. Use Dragonfly One to guide your fire. We'll break Chan's nerves and, if possible, Chan's backbone."

"Right on it," Jung gave Joshua a nod and switched to another comset to organize his troops.

Joshua grabbed the comset and sent a message to his lance, "Hammer Lance, do you read? Dwight?"

"Loud and clear, Cap'n," a male voice quickly replied. "What's your order?"

"A Capellan company is heading toward the two ports in the east. Intercept them from the mountain range, but quickly retreat to Stillgar Pass. Make them chase you. "

"A reinforced lance against a company, Cap?" the male mumbled. "Are you sure about this?"

"Chan won't send his heavy mechs after you," Joshua answered. "He will send his mediums instead, and keep his heavies on course. When Chan's medium mechs reached Stillgar Pass, engage at close range. Take advantage of the narrow pass. The Commonality sends a chopper unit to back you up."

* * *

_**Stillgar Pass, Styk,  
**__**Styk Commonality,  
**__**May 3, 3066  
**__**1540 hours**_

Lieutenant Dwight switched off his comset, befuddled by Joshua's order. Sao-shao Chan had made a legend of himself among Styk community, not only as a genius tactician but also as a sadistic warrior. He would take the opportunity to butcher Lindon Battalion and Styk Commonality given the opportunity and firepower, and he proved it several months ago. He'd chew the Hammer Lance to the last man.

Dwight didn't doubt that Joshua could beat Chan. Joshua Gant was one of the most brilliant field commanders Dwight had ever worked with, and Dwight had worked with a lot of field commanders. It was just Joshua seemed to be more interested in his torrid affair with a Wang Chung girl – a local Commonality noblewoman he was supposed to protect – than fighting Chan. Now that the girl was off world, Joshua started acting like he was supposed to, but Chan was already 2 steps ahead of him.

"You heard the captain, people!" Dwight rallied his lance mates. "Form up on me. We'll take the mountain."

"Are you sure Captain Gant won't get us killed, El-Tee?" Sergeant Alyssa, Dwight's second in command, spoke up. "I mean… this is Sao-shao Chan's heavy company we're fighting. They'll be on top of us in no time. Not to mention the Viper Squadron."

"He's not gonna waste the Viper's time to eliminate a lance, Alyssa," Dwight replied. "Don't worry about the flyboys. As for the heavy mechs," he paused, watching his lance to fall in, "just watch your six and fight well. We're trained to fight the odds. We'll beat them."

Dwight and Alyssa gunned their _Bushwackers_ toward the mountain range. The other two closed the formation in their _Uziels_. Oscar and Romero were new additions for the Hammer Lance, but they were drilled and tested by the very best in Lindon Battalion. If there was something Dwight would question about Oscar and Romero, it was their lack of experience.

Reaching the top, Dwight could easily see Chan's company. Using the cold weather and the tip of the mountain as cover, Dwight targeted the lead mech and sent his missiles flying. The dagger-like warheads flew over a great distance and descended upon the fire-schemed _Lao Hu_. Before the mech could take evasive maneuver, three of his missiles slammed into its shoulder, creating a cloud of smoke with serrated armor thrown to every direction.

"Fire at will!" Dwight yelled, squeezing his trigger to fire more missiles at the _Lao Hu_. Alyssa followed his move, while Oscar and Romero rained down their PPCs at the closest mech. The Capellan formation dissolved, and they quickly formed a defensive line while two _Men Shens_, a _Vindicator_, and a _Blackjack Omni_ made a run toward his position, covered by a torrential missile fire from the heavy mechs.

"Take cover!" Dwight ordered as he backpedaled. The missile rain hammered the ground like a thunderclap, shaking and tossing soil into the air. Half a dozen landed on his right torso, and quickly shredded the outermost layer of armor. The _Bushwacker's_ legs wobbled under the assault. Fire and ice blended in explosions that seemed like bringing down the mountain range.

"Dragonfly Actual, this is Hammer Lance," Dwight screamed in his comset to get his voice through the explosions. "We are under heavy fire. We need assistance! Where is the damn back up?"

* * *

_**1545 hours**_

The thin air over the mountain range made it difficult for Captain Roger to maneuver his Warrior H8 between cliffs. Not wanting to risk stalling, Roger bought his wing to glide steadily across the mountain range, exposing his belly to the Capellans. Roger always hated mountain mission. Helicopters were supposed to be the wolves of the sky, stalking close to the ground. High-altitude mission should've been left for aerospace fighters.

However, the Commonality wasn't blessed with money or technology, and they had to make do with everything they could salvage or buy from black market. Warrior H8 was the only air support they could afford, so that was what he had to do.

"Break formation and target the medium lance coming toward Stillgar Pass," Roger croaked and pushed his joystick down. His Warrior H8 took a steep nose-dive and quickly gave up altitude. As his crosshair latched on the back of a _Vindicator_, he let go of his missiles. White trails of smoke jetted from his launchers, ended in a staggering explosion at the Vindicator's rear torso. The lanky mech jerked forward stumbling, but managed to keep standing.

The medium lance had been separated from the heavy mechs, but they were still within the range of the heavies. Laser and PPC bolts quickly filled the sky, and one Roger's wingmen were caught in the crossfire. The Warrior H8 glowed in murderous red-white hue before erupting in a fireball, sending titanium pieces all over the place.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Roger barked his order and swiveled among the energy bolts. Two laser blasts almost breach his blades off, and several autocannon rounds stabbed his rotor tailcone. Smoke twirled from the cracks. Other weren't so lucky. Two more Warrior H8 blasted mid air, and three others had gushing out sparks and smoke.

"The Capellan's chewing up my men," Roger screamed over the comlink. "We can't hold any longer. Bring in the heat, or nothing will be left of us."

* * *

_**Town of Ricosville, Styk,  
**__**Styk Commonality,  
**__**May 3, 3066  
**__**1550 hours**_

"Get your lazy arses on your stations right now!" Sergeant Oliver screamed from the top of his lung, unhappy with the progress his artillery units showed. "Liao cannibals are killing our men out there, and your tardiness was even worse than Capellans! Get the cannons in line! Stack up the ammunitions close to the cannons! Move it move it move it!"

Oliver's crewmen had already been accustomed to his temper and his passionate personality when giving artillery actions to beleaguered comrades. They scrambled the five Long Tom cannons and quickly put it in position. The long cannons sneered at the sky, ready to send their deadly projectiles over to the mountain range. One command from the fiery, middle-aged, long-mulleted sergeant would send the cannon roaring.

"Dragon's Fire, this is Dragonfly One," the comset on Oliver's ear burped. "Capellan medium mechs had been separated from the heavies. Target: 3-2-0-niner-4… range 3.5 clicks… fire for effect."

"Fire for effect at 3-2-0-niner-4, 46 degree… Fire!" Oliver boomed. The ground shook as the five Long Toms fired in unison. The projectiles seeped into the cloud and disappeared from sight. Oliver would never know what he hit. That was the downfall of being an artillery unit: you never see into the enemy's eyes when you killed it. But Oliver didn't mind. Firing big guns from a save zone was a nice tradeoff with that youthful machismo he heard a lot from inexperienced troops.

"You're almost on top of them, Dragon's Fire!" the scout guided him. "Take it back a couple hundred meters and you'll hit them right in the heads!"

"Reload! Reload! Fourty-seven and a half degree… Fire!" Oliver screamed again. His crew reacted by adjusting the elevation angle of the Long Tom cannons before firing them for the second time. The constant blasts had shattered Oliver's eardrums long time ago, but he didn't care. He liked his job, and he knew he did his job well.

"Bullseye! Right in their midst!" the scout reported with glee. "They're starting to divert, Dragon's Fire. Spread your fire!"

"Spread Fire! Spread Fire!" Oliver snarled, picturing how his artillery fire gave the Capellans utter confusion. "Come on, boys! Let's send them back to hell! Fire!"

* * *

_**Styk Commonality – Lindon Battalion Joint HQ,  
**__**Grimmoiré Field, Styk,  
**__**Styk Commonality,  
**__**May 3, 3066  
**__**1605 hours**_

"Joshua," Captain Jung called his Lindon Battalion counterpart. "Dragonfly One reported that Chan's company had retreated, sustaining moderate to heavy damage. The combined attack by your lance, Commonality's chopper unit and artillery fire had turned the Capellans back. We lost the chopper squad, but your lance and the artillery unit are intact."

Joshua Gant took a deep breath. He had Chan within his grasp, but he just let him go. He had to, because he didn't have enough firepower to take on Chan directly. Given everything he had, that's the best he could do with minimum damage to his own units.

"Honestly, Captain, I didn't think we can get this far," Jung continued. "Chan's company was overwhelming, and I thought we'd have to take Chan on in a street brawl at Ricosville. You fought effectively and efficiently. That's the highest commendation I can give you."

"Don't get excited yet," Joshua smiled. "We just beat Chan for today. He'll be back for another day, stronger and nastier than ever. Maybe it's not a bad idea to start evacuating Ricosville."

Jung gave Joshua a funny look, but he wouldn't dare to contest the Lindon Battalion commander. After all, Joshua had just pulled a miracle. "Then what will become of you and your lance?"

"Next time Chan attacks," Joshua cracked his knuckles, "I'll be waiting."

* * *


	23. Chapter 23

**THE LEGEND OF GAUSSZILLA**

**Note:** This story is inspired by comments from my _deviantArt _submission. _Gausszilla_ is one of few BattleTech myths (what? you think myth only exists in fantasy type of fanfics?) along with Vlad Ward's _Executioner _(in _Blood Legacy_), _Commando_ 'Blazing Inferno' (in PC game _Crescent Hawk's Inception_), Gray Noton's 90-ton _Rifleman _and some more. Like good ol' myth, nobody has seen a real _Gausszilla_. That's how this story is written: as a myth. It'd be nice, though, if Jordan Weissman put it in the new _MechWarrior Reboot_, or MekTek made one for its MekPak 4.

_Gausszilla_ is a copyright of Bryan Nystul.  
Special thanks for **SulliMike23** and **Kat Wylder**.  
All rights reserved.

* * *

_**Thor's Shieldhall, Silesia,  
**__**Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**__**Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**__**May 3, 3066**_

Newcomers to Solaris City always thought that the Coliseum was the center of Silesia. Built as a replica of Roman Coliseum, multiplied ten times to fit battlemechs, it was the perfect arena for gladiator-esque matches. It was one of few arenas where spectators could see battlemechs in action live. Although Boreal Reach was the darling of all Class-6 arenas, Steiner Coliseum provided unmatched scenery of mayhem and brutality which harkened back to its first-century.

But for long-time Solaran, the true heart of Silesia was Thor's Shieldhall. The bar provided information far beyond the news casts could cover – rumor, tactics, gossips, new technologies, and even hook-ups and break-ups among mech jocks and their stables. Words traveled faster from mouth to mouth than through the media channels, and Thor's Shieldhall was right in the center of them all.

It was close to midnight, and two young mechwarriors occupied a table on the corner. They were talking all night, discussing the recent events in Solaris arenas, particularly the inconclusive rivalry between Davion front man Kyle Garret and the independent dark horse Parker Kerensky (**Note:** read _I,Ke2ensky_ for more story about it).

"If they fights in the Grand Championship, Parker will beats Kyle's ass," one of them stated. "His mech haves enormous close-range punch. Kyle's mech won't stands a chance against it."

"Bull," the other rebuked. "Kyle will beat Park'ah any day of the week. Kyle's mech is fast'ah, has long'ah range, and he has the Davions behind his back. He has a bett'ah technology, logistics, and intelligence. Speed and range ov'ah pow'ah everytime."

"Do you says that an 85-ton Davion mech can beats a 95-ton Clan mech?" the first one rebuked. "One alpha strike from Parker's mech will takes down half of Kyle's weapons!"

"You can't rely on strength alone to win a championship. Park'ah mech is strong'ah but Kyle's mech can hit it from far away. By the time Park'ah is close enough for alpha strike, he won't have weapons anymo'ah."

As the debate continued on, an old man listened carefully while chugging his beer. His hair was bedraggled and unkempt, and his teeth were all but gone. His hands shook as he put the bottle into his mouth. Yet he followed the conversation of the two young mechwarriors. When the argument heated up to the point that the two young men started calling names, the old man started chuckling.

"Games, games, games," he mumbled. "All you little kiddies are bickering about are just games. Your heroes are nothing but paper tigers. They have never seen the eyes of enemies as they put a Gauss slug right into their midst. And their mechs you're talking so highly of… they're not gonna stand 5 minutes in the field. All those flashy _pinball machines_ are junk compared to real battlemechs."

"Hey, old man, watch your mouth!" one of the young mechwarriors sneered. "Do you think you can beats Parker's mech in a Solaris match? I'd love to sees you gets stomped into Solaris sputum by Parker's _Gladiator_!"

"Maybe you think you can take a bett'ah mech to fight Kyle in his _Outrid'ah_," the other shot his insult. "You definitely have no idea about battlemech technology. The _Outrid'ah_ is the perfect fighting machine. It can beat any 100-tonn'ah you can think of. _Atlas? Grand Titan? Daishi?_ All will be left as smelt'ahs!"

The old man answered the young men with a wry cackled. He chugged his beer and brought his feet on the table. "I've lived long enough to be your granddaddy, you stupid little noobs. I've seen things you can only find in fairy tales. I've seen something so big, so menacing, so powerful it wiped out my entire lance in minutes. I can still hear its thundering fire, its five Gauss rifles, and the despairing screams of my lance mates. Can your hero's mech sustain five Gauss rifles? I don't think so. None can."

"Five Gauss?" the young men looked at each other with complete awe. "Man, this guy's a loon!"

"Call me what you want," the old man continued, disregarding the young men's rant. "I know what I saw. One rifle on each arm, one on each torso, and one over its hump atop its cockpit. There's another laser beneath the cockpit, but who cares about a measly laser if you have 5 Gauss rifles?"

"There is no mech that can carries 5 Gauss," one of them stated curiously. "What is that? Another _pinball machine_?"

"Yeah! I've nev'ah heard anything like that," the other added. "Do you have a picture or a spec?"

"Nobody knows what to call it," the old man leaned on his chair. "Nobody had seen it before or after. I saw it only once. I was a pirate in Oberon Confederation. Yeah, we were thieves and robbers, but we were free men. We lived and died by our own laws. Our allegiance was only to ourselves. House Steiner didn't like that. They tried to abolish us, but when they came into our territory, they quickly realized that they didn't own the ground. We owned the ground, not them.

"You may think I'm so old I'm senile, but I remembered when it was started. It was the year of '49. I was in my 40's but still in my prime. Hell, I was banging a broad half my age. Cassie, that was her name. Cassandra, Cassiopeia, I never cared to ask. I just knew her as Cassie. She was a young lioness, tight ass, great set of racks, and this attitude that she owned the world. I hated her. But I liked her. Not many broads were there in a pirate company, and she made one damn fine…"

"Hey, old man," one of the young men interjected. "The mech? Five Gauss rifles?"

"Right, right, I digress," the old pirate cleared his throat. "Oh, the good old days. Anyway, Cassie and I were just into one of those all-night, marathon sessions when we heard somebody screaming bloody murder. We scrambled to find out. It was one of those scouts, supposedly covering the perimeter. You never know when those damn Steiners would try to smack you again.

"But the scout was as white as a ghost. His hands were trembling, his eyes wide open, and he didn't make any sense. His lance was attacked by something he hadn't seen before. All were dead but him. He said something like a wind of destruction, a tidal wave, a burning pyre, even the ghosts of his ancestors. He got one of the best eyes in the company but he couldn't see what was coming it was so fast and brutal."

"What do you mean 'couldn't see'?" the other young man interrupted. "Those are the Clans…"

"We were in '49 you asshole!" the old man blurted. "Nobody knows about the Clans yet! We knew that these attackers were not Steiner, but we didn't know who they were. Now Cassie was a lance commander herself. She took her lance and took off into the night. Her lance comprised of medium mechs, not suitable for scouting business, but somebody had to do it. We thought her extra armor would increase her chance of survival.

"I, like Cassie, was a lance commander, but I was well covered in my _Orion_. My lance mates were _Ostsol_, _Ostroc_, and another _Orion_. I chose to fortify the HQ like most of heavy and assault mechs, lest these phantom marauders flanked Cassie and went straight to the HQ.

"We waited until noon the next day, and Cassie never came back. We tried communications. We even broadcast our signal to all ranges of frequency. Nothing. She just didn't come back. She disappeared like she was swallowed by the night. Now some pirates were highly superstitious. The scout's words about a ghost attacker started to make everybody panic. Half of the pirates started making nonsense, and we got disarrayed."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, I'm worried about Cassie, so I took off," the old man sighed. "It was not like me going after other pirates. We, pirates, had this code of honor: fewer pirates means more money. But something about the scout's nonsense intrigued me. I want to see what's going on. I was arrogant and stupid back then. I beat the Steiners. We, Oberon Confederation, beat Steiners at every turn. FedCom was huge back then and we beat them. What could be stronger than Steiners that we fell like leaves in autumn?"

"Stupid pirate," one of the young men scoffed. "They're the Clans!"

"We didn't know that yet! Weren't you listening to me?" the old man banged the table, startling the two young men and half of the customers at Thor's Shieldhall. "Nobody had seen the Clans before! And even if somebody did, they didn't share it to pirates in the first place! Now you listen to me when I'm talking!"

"Jeez, man, cool off!" the young mechwarriors cringed.

"Bugger!" the old man emptied his beer. "So I went after Cassie, sweeping through plains and mountains, covering as much ground as I thought she would. It was almost dusk when I arrived at an abandoned minefield. I thought that if these phantom marauders wanted to take a pot shot at Oberon Confederation, they would've used the minefield as a base camp. I decided to check it out.

"I was just at the perimeter of the minefield when something flashed in my radar. It was a battlemech like nothing I've seen before. It was bulky like a _Stalker_, but with 5 humongous cannons covering every inches of its body. I didn't know how big it was but I was sure it was one of those 100-tonner, possibly more. That bloody thing perched on top of a cliff, boasting its dominance over the entire minefield.

"My confusion hadn't subsided when my comlink flickered. Somebody – presumably the mech pilot – hailed me in open frequency, stating his name and rank and unit that I was too ignorant to remember. I regretted it ever since, after what he did to me. But anyway, he demanded my surrender, or I would be utterly destroyed. Of course I refused. He was in an assault for sure, but I'm with my buddies. There was no way an assault mech could beat a lance of heavies. We outweighed him by more than 200 tons.

"So I ordered 'fire at will' and launched my missiles at the bugger. Oh, how stupid I was! Before my missiles reached him, I was hit by an enormous shot. Nothing had hit me with that power, with that accuracy, not even the Steiners. As my _Orion_ reeled, another one blasted me on the side. Then another one, ripping my armor to dust. Only AC20 had equal power, but they were not autocannons because we were at least 750 meters apart. At that time, nobody knew about Gauss Rifle yet.

"As my mech crumbled to the ground, my lance mates poured that bastard with lasers and missiles. Some bounced off its armor, other just flew harmlessly over its head. That mech swiveled and fired the remaining cannons at the _Ostroc_. I could see the _Ostroc_ doubled over when hit on the midst. The shock must have knocked the pilot out, because I had never seen the _Ostroc_ came back to life. It just tumbled like a log, crashed, then lied on its back for the rest of the fight.

"I checked my mech, and my gyro had been severely damaged. Of course it would! If you are hit with that much power, I don't care if you ride an _Atlas_, your gyro will cave in. At that time, I started to get scared. I'd never been scared before, not when I'm in my _Orion_. But that day, I was terrified. I'm sure my lance mates were scared too, because they stopped firing. _They'd better not run_, I thought. But my wish only came thus far.

"The other _Orion_ turned around and started running away, but the mysterious mech wouldn't let him go. A shot fell at its back like a goddamn hammer. Another shot came a close second behind, almost at the exact place. Now you understand that the back of a battlemech is not as well armored as its front, don't you? The first shot could've disabled the _Orion_, but it was the second hit that triggered an internal explosion. The _Orion's_ torso bowed forward as the fireball tore its back apart. I hoped the pilot survived, but looking at the the fireball, I doubted it.

"So now there were just the two of us left, my crippled _Orion_ and the fool _Ostsol_. There was no choice for us but to continue fighting. But my _Ostsol_ lance mate decided to yield. He shut down his mech and gave himself up. It might be the better option, but at that time I didn't know about Clan's tradition. I was sure my lance mate had just sold his soul. I thought I'd rather die fighting than getting captured and turned into some guinea pig or something.

"I pressed my alpha strike button, and with some luck, I managed to hit the big mech. Some good shots chafed its armor, and the mech staggered. But of course, I wasn't expecting much. I knew that the mech would shrug off my attack and came back with a vengeance. I did the only thing I could: I pulled my ejection lever, seconds before all 5 Gauss rifles barked and singed my _Orion_. The explosion was so hard I was knocked out cold.

"When I woke up, the minefield was empty. What was left was what used to be my _Orion_, reduced into a heap of smelters. No mechs were visible, not even the _Ostroc_ and _Ostsol_. I guessed the Clan came and confiscated everything, but by some strange luck they left me out. Or they couldn't find me. I don't know. I took a very long walk toward the planet's only starport, and I lifted off just before the Clan overwhelmed the place.

"From other refugees I learnt that Oberon Confederation had been utterly destroyed, and Hendrick Grimm reportedly committed suicide. Over more than a decade I joined several mercenary units and fought the Clan, but I had never seen that mech again. Neither did I see Cassie again, nor learn about her fate. Her end was as vague as the mysterious mech with 5 Gauss rifles itself."

The old man dipped his head, as if summarizing his story. Then he got up and put some c-bills on the table, saying "Don't waste your talent on games. Get out and get yourself a real fight. Then maybe you get a chance to see the 5-Gauss mech with your own eyes."

The two young mechwarriors watched the old pirate walking out of the door, then looked at each other, before following the shadow of the old pirate across the street until it disappeared. For several minutes they didn't speak to each other, trying to digest the old man's story, and decided if they would believe it or not.

"Do you believes it?" on of them finally spoke. "Do you thinks such a mech exists?"

"Nah," the other replied. "That old fart is a li'ah. A mech with 5 Gauss rifles? Come on. Don't insult my intelligence."

"Hm," the first one mused. "What if it does exists? Can you imagines how much it costs in Solaris?"

"Enough to buy the enti'ah Solaris City," the other smirked. "But we'd nev'ah know, would we? It's just a sad folkl'ah that will only become Solaris myth."

"I'd rather believes in Cassie the sexy pirate than the mech with 5 Gauss rifles," the first one quipped.

"I'll drink to that," his friend chuckled, hoisting his bottle for a toast.

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

**Tharkad As I See It  
**

**Note**: The main character in this chapter is a war journalist who is loosely based off Joe Galloway, the author of _We Were Soldiers Once... And Young_. I don't see many stories centering on a war journalist in this forum, so I hope this brings a fresh air to the community.

* * *

So it comes to this.

This whole razzle-dazzle started off in 3057 when Katherine (or Katrina as she wants to be addressed) took her realm out of the Federated Commonwealth and declared it neutral in Victor Davion - Thomas Marik feud. I used to defend her perspective. Katrina - the _real_ Katrina, Katherine's grandma - was a peace loving figure, and it seems like she is following her grandma's footsteps, unlike the seemingly blood-thirsty Victor.

But wait! When Victor went to quench his thirst for conquest dressed in taking the war to the Clans, Katrina elbowed Yvonne off the throne and claimed everything for herself. Now I understand sibling rivalry, especially between girls. I used to do that with my sister when I was young, and even now my two nieces, age 5 and 4, have already started competing and throwing elbows and knees at each other.

But Katrina should have known better. She should've known Victor, the war-lusty firstborn of the Steiner-Davion Clan... excuse the pun. She should've known Victor's relation with Comstar, mercenary units, and the hybrid Wolf Clan at Arc Royal. And she should've known that Victor was commanding a great army. And in a sense, I think Katrina saw it coming, long before today. She is a cunning politician herself, and maybe she thought she could talk her way out of this situation, and put Victor in a short leash... politically. However, she should've learnt history more. When politics failed (and fail it will), war broke. And who's got the upper hand should her politics fail?

Right. Victor.

So here we are, 5 years after the FedCom Civil War officially started. As Katrina might have foreseen, Victor's arms had stretched out to Tharkad, a place she should've kept herself in. Putting Peter in charge of Tharkad front is a somehow degenerating move by Victor, while he himself is gunning toward his ultimate prize: New Avalon. But putting Nondi in charge of Tharkad shows that Katrina knows nothing about war. Had she stayed in Tharkad, had she commanded her army herself, the result might've come out differently.

Sometimes I wonder what Tharkad had sinned against Katrina and Victor so nobody wants it. Everybody wants New Avalon. Everybody wants a piece of Federated Sun portion of the once FedCom superstate. What about Lyran Commonwealth, or Lyran Alliance? What about Hesperus heavy industry? Or Solaris VII gladiatorial games? What about Tharkad?

Sadly, Tharkad is only an important part of this sibling rivalry. Controlling Tharkad is almost identical to controlling Hesperus. Never mind what happens in Tharkad, it's Hesperus that we need. This kind of mentality makes me sad, because Tharkad had so much more than just a stepping stone to New Avalon. Well, of course it's just figuratively speaking. But you know what I mean.

Even after Peter killed Nondi in that spectacular duel (or is it Peter? Nobody seems to be able to confirm this fact. It's just one of those occasions where a duel takes place in a desolated ground, then the winner comes out of the dust, then everybody scream "Yeaaaaa!" I have much doubt that Peter could beat a seasoned veteran like Nondi singlehandedly, but whatever. No matter who killed Nondi, Peter will always get the credit) the battle for control of Tharkad didn't immediately ceased. Violence still overwhelmed Olympia, another major city in Tharkad, until weeks later. That shows how poorly the troops respected their commanders. Will it happen if Katrina or Victor is killed in New Avalon? I don't think so.

I was in Olympia during this time, trying to get some actions in the battlefield. Why, you might ask, did I take Tharkad? All good things are in New Avalon. But hey, _everybody_ will be on New Avalon the day Katrina falls, or the day Victor is killed. And listen to this: whoever wins New Avalon won't be doing such without winning Tharkad. The same thing with Berlin and Remagen, or Tokyo and Iwo Jima. Don't know what I'm talking about? Come on, it's time to brush up your history. Don't let what happened to Katrina happen to you.

Anyway, news of Nondi's fall had reached the front line but the troops kept up their assault upon each other. One particular _Zeus_ led a fraction of Lyran assault team against a _Warhammer_ and a couple _Arguses_ with _Drillson_ escort. Both parties had reached combat loss grouping, and it seemed that the engagement would be over soon. But as it turned out, I knew nothing about battlemech combat.

The _Arguses_ launched their missiles, creating a wall of fire and throwing splinters of ice to every direction. The _Zeus,_ as expected, kept marching forward with only flames on both legs. The _Arguses_ followed with their RAC5, sending sub munitions to the _Zeus's_ left shoulder. This time, the assault mech staggered and buckled, consumed by the unexpected impact from the autocannon rounds.

The _Warhammer_'s turn came next, and it was ready for the coup de grace when a _Bushwacker _joined the fray and used its 20-caliber autocannon against the _Warhammer_. Lyran's affinity for large-bored ballistics proved to be the decisive advantage in a city fighting like this. The big _Warhammer_ shook tremendously as the pilot pulled all the stops to keep standing. This shot bought the _Zeus_ a much-needed seconds to recuperate. Its missiles shred the myomer on the _Warhammer's_ right leg, while its autocannon flashed. The _Warhammer_'s left torso erupted as it reeled to the ground, creaking and gushing in the process.

Not to be outdone, the _Arguses_ concentrated fire on the _Zeus_, the bigger threat among the Lyran's gutted lance. The 60-tonners took pot shots that turned the assault mech into a charred hulk. Their twin lasers burnt the last myomer on the _Zeus'_ left leg. The _Drillsons_ landed a good salvo on the same spot, and the _Zeus_ surrendered to the onslaught. The mechwarrior blasted out of his cockpit seconds before a ball of fire devoured the battlemech.

So the day belonged to the Davions, it seemed. Well, never counted what would happen in a war. Anything was possible. That was the grave mistake Katrina made during her entire campaign against her own brother. She made plans, predicted the future, and stuck with it. No, that was not how war worked. Well, in this case, it was the Davions that declared victory a moment too soon, but if only Katrina could see and learnt from them, her war could've taken a different path.

As soon as the _Zeus_ crashed and burnt, another monster took its place. A _Thunder Hawk_ emerged and put two Gauss slugs on one of the _Arguses_. The 60-ton mech didn't stand a chance against the massive nickel-ferrous attack. Its armor had been ripped and scarred from overstaying in the battlefield, and the result was quick death. The explosion mimicked the _Zeus'_ not a minute earlier.

The other _Argus_ danced its way out of the explosion, got a quick lock at the Thunder Hawk, then hurled everything it had. In a desperate move, it slammed its left torso onto the '_Hawk's_ left arm, wrecking the Gauss rifle. But like I said, it was a desperate move at best. It didn't kill the Lyrans. The biggest damage the _Argus_ did was to itself. Its torso breached as a result of the catastrophic collision. It turned into a walking tomb. Major fire sprouted from every part of its body.

I didn't stick around to see the result, nor did I care about it. There were more hostilities in another corner of Olympia, presumably so in almost every place in Tharkad. Maybe the Lyran won this corner. Or maybe not. Maybe a lance of the new, dreaded _Templars_ came to the _Argus'_ aid. Or maybe they all ceased fire, shook hands, and continued their confrontation on a board of chess. I could care less about it.

But the point I'm trying to make is this: Steiner lost the war long before the first shot was fired. We all know it will all come to this, and Katrina didn't make adjustment to her plan. Do you think the loss of Omi Kurita will stop Victor's army from marching into Tharkad? Seriously? And where is Vlad Ward in this mess? Phelan Kell's goonies trampled Steiner troops all over the place, and not a single mech from the real Wolf came to their rescue. We all know about the bad blood between Vlad and Phelan, and Katrina should've used this opportunity for her advantage. Another wasted opportunity.

Katrina should've stayed with Tharkad. What's wrong with Tharkad, anyway?

**_Editor's note_**: Sarah Webster is a war journalist for Samarkand Daily News. Her opinion does not represent the opinion of Samarkand Daily News as a public media. For more about Sarah Webster, check out her war blog at SDN/blog/swebster/war.


	25. Chapter 25

**Freshman  
Part 1**

**Note: **I have been watching some military academy movies lately, so I'm intrigued to write one. The protagonist of this 5-part ficlet is Rocher, one of the supporting characters in IK4. I have been using him (or planning to use him) quite a lot lately, so this may serve as a background story for the brash lewd loudmouth.

This 5-part story is inspired by _Police Academy_, _The Lords of Discipline_, _Starship Troopers_, _Top Gun_, _Bands of Brothers_, and of course, _Full Metal Jacket_.

* * *

_**The Warrior's Hall,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**August 27, 3075**_

New Syrtis was - in essence - a desert, an ice desert. The perpetual subzero temperature infused the planet with an impenetrable layer of ice atop the planet's crust. Water was abundant, but not in the form of immediate use. New Syrtis citizens spent millions and millions of c-bills turning ice into water, a thing that worked out the other way around in the majority of worlds in the Inner Sphere. Funny how humans still thought New Syrtis was worth living in.

That was the thought that spun inside Cadet Rocher's mind as he stood in bitter cold on the front yard of the Warrior's Hall. _Why does it have to be in New Syrtis?_ It was a silly question considering New Syrtis was the capital of Capellan March of Federated Suns, and as its namesake it was one of FedSun's fronts with the Liaos, the Hasek's arc nemesis. The Warrior's Hall was the primary military academy in Capellan March, and one of Fed Sun's bests. There was no other befitting place for The Warrior's Hall other than the cold New Syrtis. But when one had to stand partially naked in the bitter cold, that question eventually surfaced.

"My name is Captain Gray," a man in an adequately warm uniform addressed the new recruits. "Welcome to The Warrior's Hall. Obviously you have proven yourself to enroll in this long history of perfection. You got the brain. Well, don't get comfortable yet. Brain is only a third of what you need to graduate from The Warrior's Hall. You gotta have the muscle and the heart. If you don't think you have all three, leave this place now before you hurt yourself."

Captain Gray was a war hero, or so Rocher heard. When Lyran's forces invaded New Syrtis and bludgeoned the Capellan March Militia in '66, Captain Gray - then a leftenant - was left for dead in the snow. Somehow he found a way to survive, raised a guerilla war, and became a critical element in beating back the Lyrans out of New Syrtis. There were a lot of rumors as to why he chose The Warrior's Hall instead of a military career in the AFFS, but that was another story.

"Personally I would love to beat you up myself on your first day, but as a tradition of The Warrior's Hall, I'll leave the beating to the seniors," Captain Gray said with a small smile. "They had shown their hard work and dedication, and they deserved a little reward." The captain turned his back and walked toward a group of men wearing eager eyes and sadistic snares on their faces. "Hell Night officially starts. Have at them, boys!"

Rocher had been wondering why they were two groups of cadets at the front yard. It turned out the other group was not a group of cadets. They were the "drill instructors", Captain Gray's agents of no mercy. A drill instructor was a cadet's worst nightmare. A band of irresponsible senior-class drill instructors was hell. No wonder it was called Hell Night.

Before anybody realized what was happening, the seniors jumped right at the cadets and abused them, screaming and pushing around like mad drunkards. Some cadets that expected Captain Gray to do the grilling flat out rejected the seniors, but it was a fatal mistake. The seniors descended upon them with vengeance. It was better to be humiliated the first time around.

Three burly seniors launched themselves at Rocher and tackled him. It was not a playful tackle. It was intended to hurt him. And hurt he was. His back crashed onto the icy ground so hard he thought he broke his spine. The seniors pinned him to the ground, and Rocher felt his lungs collapsing under the weight of three muscular men. At only 140 lbs, there was nothing he could do against three 180-pounders.

"You're nothing!" they screamed in front of his face. "You're just a maggot! You'll bring shame to the Hall and to the Militia! Go home! This place is not for you!"

But Rocher couldn't go home. He would disgrace his father if he did. As a staunch Davion mechwarrior, his father took part in the ill-fated Sovereign Justice, and was killed when the Capellan launched Operation Thunderstrike. That was the reason Rocher enrolled in The Warrior's Hall. The famously anti-Capellan academy was his only choice to avenge his father's death. He wouldn't go home. As horrible as it could be, the seniors were not his enemies. The Capellans were.

"Push up! Push up, you insect!" the seniors released him and coerced him into a push up position. As Rocher went down, the burliest senior put his boot on his shoulder, while the other two nicked him with their boots while screaming insults. Rocher's arms trembled sustaining the extra load from the senior. His fingers shook from the extreme cold. His ego was destroyed. It was only five minutes into the academy and he already thought it was the biggest mistake he'd ever done.

But he wouldn't back down. His hatred toward the Capellans far exceeded the fear, shame, vulnerability, and death these seniors brought unto him. He pushed up and down, one after another, while filling his mind with the recollection of conversation he had with the recruiting officer not a week ago.

_"I want to kill Capellans, Sir!"  
__"We all hate those bastards, Son, but that attitude of yours will get you nowhere."  
__"I want to kill Capellans, Sir!"  
__"If I were you I'd go home and kill the Capellans on the video games. War is not a game."  
__"I want to kill Capellans, Sir!"  
__"Aren't you listening to me?"  
__"I hear you loud and clear, Sir. It's you who're not listening to me. I want to kill Capellans!"_

The seniors did everything they could to make him quit, but he stayed on his course, taking everything they threw at him with good grace. Like Captain Gray said, somebody had to have the brain, the muscle, and the heart to succeed at The Warrior's Hall. Rocher got the brain, might not the muscle yet, but he did have the heart. No seniors could make him leave.


	26. Chapter 26

**Freshman  
****Part 2**

_**Fighter Group SV650 Tavern,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**August 31, 3075**_

The tight schedule of the freshman year left virtually zero chance for the freshmen to socialize. The seniors already howled and barked at them long before dawn. After physical brutality in the cold, the freshmen went to combat trainings all morning, until it was time to rest. They only got an hour to sleep; the seniors were on their tails again for a couple hours, until it was time for battlemech trainings. When the sun went down, the freshmen were getting brutalized before tactical training. By the time they got out of the class, they were dead tired.

The weekend was the only time they had to behave like normal human beings. The Fighter Group Tavern was a popular place since it was close to the training ground. The place was a madhouse during weekends, and the last time the tavern didn't have a weekend bar fight rooted back to the 4th Succession War. It was a record the owner seemed to be proud of.

For freshmen like Rocher, getting into a bar fight was worse than a martial court. The golden rule of being a freshman applied here as it did everywhere else: _do not stand out_. Just flow through freshman year anonymously. Rocher knew this, so he took a seat at the back end of the tavern with 3 other freshmen, enjoying beers while watching other students lost themselves in music and alcohol.

"Look at that hottie," one of the freshmen pointed at a female bartender. Her short hair and her skimpy shirt were damped by sweat and liquor, but she went on passing bottles and glasses at customers with radiant smile. "My, my, how I long to ride that ass."

"You wanna die, Apu?" another one next to him replied unenthusiastically. "If the seniors see you going out with her, your life will be a living nightmare."

"This is weekend," another joined in. "Just wait until past midnight when everybody is too drunk to notice you. Check her out to a motel and have fun. Then report to the barrack Monday like nothing happened."

"Nah, she's not my league," the guy called Apu leaned back on his chair.

"More like she's out of your league," the second freshman blurted, followed by light chuckles from others.

"Hey, why don't you ask her out, Mork?" Apu snarled. "Don't tell me you don't want her."

"I want to live, man," the guy called Mork replied casually. "I mean, she's hot and all, but she's not worth my entire freshman year turned into the apocalypse."

"Chicken!" the third guy croaked.

"Then go out there and ask her out!" the Mork guy shoved the third guy shoulder. "What are you doing down here under the shade? Step into the light if you're that smooth!"

"Excuse me, losers, but I'm taken," the guy pulled out a photo of a girl from his pocket. "When I'm done with this killing business, I'm coming home to her."

"You guys are pathetic," Rocher couldn't help interjecting. "You just don't have the balls to talk to a hot chick. I bet your dicks are small."

"And you do?" Mork straightened his posture. "Then let's see your balls, man. Get up and ask her out before Apu finds his mojo."

"Tsk," Rocher shook his head and took the empty bottles to the counter. He casually handed the bottles to the bartender and asked her to give him new ones. "By the way," he smiled, "my friends think you're cute."

"What are you, a mail service?" the bartender winked as she popped the bottles for him. "Why don't they come here and tell me themselves?"

"Because they're dickless," Rocher said and turned halfway, breaking eye contact. "They talk big, but they shrink in front of a real hottie."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I get your point," the girl chimed. "I've never seen you before, so you must be new. I hope you enjoy your stay." She handed him the bottles. "Four c-bills."

Rocher turned and looked her in the eye. "You bet I do." He left the money on the table and left.

When he arrived at his table, his friends attacked him. "That's it?" Mork teased him. "That's all you have?"

"Don't count me out yet," Rocher sat and put his feet on the table. "The night is young."

And sure enough, he made a second trip to the counter to get more beers. And then the third. And then the forth. Each time he struck a deeper conversation with the bartender.

"Something tells me that it's not your friends that are interested in me," the bartender said as she prepared new bottles. "You made, what? Four trips to the counter acting like a server for your friends? And you keep saying that they want to go out with me? That's not very convincing, is it?"

"How can I not want to talk to you?" Rocher kept his composure. "Anybody would."

"I see what game you're playing, Mister," the girl handed four more bottles to him. "I must commend on your pick-up skill. Unfortunately it's not gonna work on me."

"Now you're judging me," Rocher grinned. "It's a little too early to judge each other, don't you think? Or are you saying that you're intrigued?"

The girl smiled and winked. "You're slick, hotshot."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rocher winked back, then returned to the table. Just when he was about to sit, some of the seniors entered the tavern. The mood immediately changed.

"I think we'd better leave," Apu said, drinking his beer nervously.

"This is weekend guys, what are we afraid of?" the guy with a girlfriend rebuked.

"You want to stay? Stay," Mork shot up of his chair. "I'm leaving."

Rocher saw why Apu and Mork wanted to leave, and he understood. They were drunk, and soon the seniors would be. It was hard enough to live through the seniors when they were not drunk. He wouldn't even imagine what would happen if they cross path drunk.

"I'm calling it a night," Rocher stood walked toward the door. Apu and Mork didn't waste time to follow him. The guy with a girlfriend didn't want to drink alone, so with heavy heart he left the table and followed his three acquaintance to leave the tavern.

But as soon as they got out of the door, a dozen seniors greeted them. Two big seniors grabbed Rocher by the neck and threw him on the ground. Rocher was not a weak kid, but the combination of alcohol and the swiftness of the attack overwhelmed his senses. He rolled on the ground, and when he tried to get up, a boot sank into his midst. It was enough to pump out every single drop of beer he took on the tavern.

As he retched and gurgled, the other freshmen were dragged to the fence. Two guys held their arms and the third hammered their stomach. The stench of beer and puke filled the chill night air, and half of the seniors started to retch. But those who could weather the smell kept peppering the freshmen with body blows.

"Who gave you permission to go to the tavern?" a senior grabbed Rocher by the neck and heaved him up.

"It's weekend," Rocher strained to speak. "We can go wherever we want..."

A vicious hook crashed into Rocher's ribcage, cutting him off. He keeled over as his vision started to tunnel down. Some seniors pulled him up and pinned him by the fence, then another one busted his solar plexus. Rocher felt his breaths left him, but the seniors didn't let him fall. They heaved him up once again, and yet another senior blew an uppercut on his head. Rocher's knee buckled and he slumped, suspended by the arms.

"Say that again, you worthless piece of crap!" the seniors taunted him. "Say that again that you're free to go during weekend." They pulled him up and banged his head on the fence. "You do what we tell you to do. You don't go anywhere anytime. You do not have a life here. Your life is ours!"

It was hard to understand what the seniors were saying when Rocher was fighting between reality and hallucination. His ears rang from the head blows, and his stomach churned. Breathing was a struggle. And his stomach felt like getting pierced by needles. All he could do was to wait for the next blow.

"If ever I see you near Meiko again, I will kill you!" somebody growled in his ear. Rocher tried to see who was talking, but a nasty blow ended his struggle. He tumbled, but he already lost his consciousness long before his head hit the ground.


	27. Chapter 27

**Freshman  
****Part 3**

_**Simulation Room, The Warrior's Hall,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**October 9, 3075**_

For the dozenth time Rocher slapped his own neurohelmet and locked all his senses to the big _Chimera_ in front of him. He didn't have to think hard about who was riding the _Chimera_. A freshman didn't have access to anything larger than 30 tons. Only the most talented sophomores and juniors were given access to mediums. The seniors, due to their experience, were all given access to medium mechs. The top few students of each class could ride heavies, and no one but the very best was given the honor of an assault battlemech.

That _Chimera_ in front of him was not very bright, but extremely vivacious, a trait owned by the majority of the seniors. Rocher's lance was reduced to two beaten-up _Dart_-4S. The other two had long gone, destroyed by the overwhelming firepower of the 40-ton beast. The supply convoy Rocher's lance was supposed to defend could only watch helplessly as the _Chimera_ chewed up the defenders like a big truck running over puppies.

Rocher's mind wandered again, thinking about his encounter with the bullying seniors outside what he thought to be normal hours. Apu had to spend several days at the infirmary. His eardrums and one retina were ruptured. It would take him months to recover, practically ending his goal to finish freshman year. The guy with a girlfriend whose name escaped Rocher had to go back to his girlfriend much sooner than he wanted. And Mork was so overwhelmed by fear he quitted soon after.

"Rocher! Rocher, for God sake! Get out of there, goddamit!" his teammate screamed over the comlink, robbing him from his daydream. The big mech came at him, all guns blazing, and if it wasn't for his father's maneuver, he would've been dead. But he dodged most of the _Chimera's_ attack save for three medium-range missiles that exploded on his right thigh. The explosion sent the _Dart_ sprawling, but Rocher's quick reflex saved him from tumbling.

"What the hell are you thinking? Keep your head on the game! We're losing!" the other freshman yelled at him. Rocher throttled up and made a hard left turn. The _Chimera_ tracked him with its machine gun, but Rocher kept turning. As soon as he got out of the _Chimera's_ firing arc, he fired his lasers in quick succession. The _Chimera's_ right arm smoldered in red, and molten armor dripped in rivulets.

"I think I damaged its arm," Rocher called the other freshman. "Cut it off!"

The other _Dart_ quickly fired its lasers without a lock, none of which hit the intended target. The _Chimera_ blasted the _Dart_ with its lasers, staggering the 25-ton mech, setting up for the kill. As the _Dart_ swayed, the _Chimera_ lifted its right arm, then fired its missiles. Only half of the missiles landed, but it was enough to deliver the killing blow. The _Dart_ vanished behind a cloud of smoke, dust, splinters, and a fireball which came a split second later.

At this point Rocher knew he couldn't have won against a mech almost double his size, but he wasn't about to give up. He tracked down the _Chimera_'s right arm, still glowing red from his previous attack, and threw everything he had at it. Spark and smoke burst from the left arm, and the 20-pack missile launcher breached, dangling by the myomer strands.

But in the end Rocher's valiant effort was not enough to win the day. The _Chimera_ fired everything it had, grilling Rocher's front armor. His HUD blinked in red. Rocher slammed his foot on the pedal, but his mech had just too much damage. It galloped sluggishly, allowing the _Chimera_ to catch up and paint it with a hard lock. Another blistering array of lasers came in, and his screen went blank. Then a big, red message appeared: Simulation Terminated.

Rocher groaned, leaning back on his command couch as he stripped his helmet. As he popped up the canopy of his simulator, a cheerful dissonance came from the other side of the room. A handful of seniors congratulated their friend - one single mechwarrior - as he climbed out of the simulator pumping his fist as if he just won a critical battle. They proceeded to throw jeers and taunts at the freshmen, who could only dip their heads.

"Good exercise, cadets," Captain Gray spoke through the PA. "Now get out of here." When most of the seniors had left, he called again, "Cadet Rocher, report to me in the control room."

Rocher knew what was going to happen, so he entered the control room preparing himself to get ejected from the program. He knew he hadn't shown his true potential since the first day of the training, and he knew Captain Gray would grill him, or worse, threw him out of the academy. He just had to let Captain Gray knew what had been happening to him and other freshmen.

"Cadet Rohm made three maneuver blunders with his _Chimera_," Captain Gray said as he sat on a rotating chair, feet propped up on the simulator consoles. "You didn't make any effort to take advantage of them. If you're a noob, I'll take that. But as a son of a seasoned mechwarrior, I refuse to believe that you failed to see it, or didn't have the skill to exploit it. What's going on, Cadet?"

It was hard to explain that Rocher's inaptitude in combat was caused by a personal problem. But he didn't have any other excuse. "I was distracted, Sir."

"By what?" Gray shot up from his chair. "By the seniors over the tavern?"

Obviously Captain Gray had heard about the encounter on the tavern. Rocher felt it was about time to throw everything into the open. "One cadet had to go home, one quit, and one is sitting in the hospital, Sir! And everything was during a weekend, Sir!"

"Do you plan to fail, Cadet Rocher?" suddenly Captain Gray roared. "If you don't think you have what it takes to be in the Warrior's Hall, just walk through the exit door right now. You'll save everybody's time."

Rocher didn't understand this. "With all due respect, Sir, it was my right to go wherever I want..."

"You have nothing, Cadet!" Captain Gray snarled. "When you entered this program, you gave up all rights to the Capellan March Militia. Your body, your mind, and even your soul belong to the Capellan March Militia. The Militia decide where you go and what to do. That's what it takes to be in the military, Cadet Rocher. The Warrior's Hall is a military academy, and you are a soldier."

Captain Gray took a long stride over the console, then sat back on his chair. "Look, the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers will scout for new recruit soon. They'll hound for seniors, but in some rare occasions they also recruit juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen. You are the most talented freshman of this class, Cadet Rocher. You have the brain and the skill. I am willing to promote you to the Fusiliers, but you have to earn my recognition. This is a privilege, Cadet. If you value your weekend rights over this opportunity, then I'll make sure the only place you'll go is the exit door. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" Rocher stood straight and snapped a salute. The reality was bitter, but if it was the price of getting out to the field sooner than he expected, then so be it. There was nothing he couldn't handle.


	28. Chapter 28

**Freshman  
Part 4**

_**The Warrior's Hall,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 7, 3076**_

The short talk with Captain Gray gave Rocher a much-needed motivation to march forward. For the next few months he worked like a horse; he was always the first one to wake up, the first one to arrive at any training field, and the last one to leave. He spent weekends at the library, guzzling up difficult maneuvers and strategies from legendary battles of the past. The simulator had become his second home; whenever he could find an empty one, he hoped into it and practiced against other students or the computer.

This phenomenon quickly sparked unrest among the seniors, especially since the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers annual recruitment was closing by. They felt threatened, so they put pressure on Rocher, much more than any other freshmen. But Rocher walked through it as if nothing happened. Nothing the seniors did could melt his steel determination.

Captain Gray observed everything, and while he let the seniors beat Rocher up as severe as they wanted, he made sure that everything was within Rocher's pain threshold. So far he hadn't interfered with the process. When the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers finally came to The Warrior's Hall, Captain Gray kept his end of the bargain by sponsoring Rocher to take the trial run along with the seniors.

Nobody appreciated it more than Rocher.

"At ease, Son," one of the recruiters said as Rocher snapped a salute. "State your name, rank, and intention."

"My name is Cadet Rocher, Sir. I am a freshman of The Warrior's Hall, class of 3079. I intend to join the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers by the end of my freshman year, Sir."  
"Why do you think you'll be a good fit for the Fusiliers?" another one curtly barked. "You're just a freshman."

"I have some training before I enrolled in The Warrior's Hall. My father served the Capellan March Militia. He taught me basic battlemech fighting. I have accumulated more than 500 hours of simulation time and gained a lot of combat experience during my freshman year. I also have high marks on my other classes, as you can review on my dossier. I think Captain Gray can attest to my achievement, Sir."

"Indeed you have, Son. But simulators are essentially video games. This trial will be a live-fire mock combat session in real battlemechs. The seniors have more time fighting in real battlemechs than you. What makes you think you are better than the seniors?"

"I am not better than anybody, Sir," Rocher quickly rebuked the recruiter. He understood that boasting his battlemech skills wouldn't take him far. The 8th Syrtis Fusiliers were looking for dependable mechwarriors, and being good in battlemech fighting was only a fraction of it. He had to choose his words carefully. "The skills that I have are only a testament of my hardworking and no-quit attitude. I don't scare easy, Sir. Captain Gray has been mentoring me since my first day at the Warrior's Hall, and he can back me up. I present myself before you because I think the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers can benefit from my hard work and dedication to the Federated Suns, especially on the Capellan borders."

"You have one hell of a supporter here, Cadet," the highest-ranked recruiter spoke up. "Captain Gray was a fine warrior. If he says you're good, then we'll give you a chance." He closed Rocher's dossier and got up from his chair. "Reconvene at the training ground for a live-fire trial run at 1300 hours tomorrow. You'll be joining some seniors who will be happy to chew you alive. If you don't think you are ready for this, I understand. It will not reflect on your career in the future."

"Thank you, Sir," Rocher nodded gleefully, then added a hearty salute. His heart beat like a drum. It was the moment he was waiting for, and he walked out of the room quickly, ready to deliver the good news to Captain Gray.

But just as he walked out of the door, half a dozen seniors had been waiting for him. Muscular arms crimped him and quickly neutralized his ability to fight back, and they pinned him to the wall. Their eyes showered him with utter disgust; however, their hands they kept idle on their sides.

"You think you can outdo us, you little worm?" one of them hissed. "You'd better go home because you haven't seen anything yet!"

"It's live-fire run tomorrow," another one added. "No holds barred. If you don't want us to crush you like an insect that you are, leave! "

"If you fail tomorrow, we'll make your life a living hell!" yet another one tuned in. "Why don't you just cower in the library like you usually do!"

Rocher expected some blows from them, but they never came. They just taunted him and threw hollow threats at him, but he realized the seniors couldn't hurt him anymore. With Captain Gray behind his back and the Fusiliers expecting to see him alive and well at the training ground tomorrow, he was untouchable. For the first time in his freshman year, he felt superior.

However, he didn't want to overdo it. There would be time for celebration.

"Save it for the trial run tomorrow," Rocher replied confidently. "You know where I'll be."

"That's right, we know where you'll be," the seniors let him go. "And lasers and missiles will come and fry you until you're no more!"

The seniors turned around and left him, and failed to see a victorious grin on Rocher's face.


	29. Chapter 29

**Freshman  
****Part 5**

_**Training Field, The Warrior's Hall,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 8, 3076**_

The clock struck ten minutes past one, and Rocher sat uncomfortably in his _Chameleon_. Three other _Chameleons_ stood on his right. The large vertical canopy of the _Chameleons_ enabled him to look at the mechwarriors behind the controls. They were the seniors that had been harassing him all year long. Somehow Rocher could see their hatred steaming from their eyes.

Rocher understood their disposition. Nobody liked being surpassed by a freshman. He would feel the same if he were in their places. But this was an opportunity of his lifetime. Besides, he worked harder than any other cadets for the past few months. The Fusiliers recruiters said that he just had to try, and the result wouldn't be a bad mark in his career. This opportunity was the fruit of his hard work, and there was no way he would pass it up.

"Alright, gentlemen, listen up!" Captain Gray's voice reverberated inside the tight cockpit room. "This is a classic Capture-The-Flag game. Red team is Hal, Jensen, Foy, and Rocher. Blue team is Drake, Gil, Rip, and Pepe. At the sound of the horn, you will have to search for the other team's flag and take possession of it. The team that captures the flag or disables all mechs from the other team wins.

"This is a live-fire mock combat. You have been training for years for this moment. Use your skill to prevail in the battlefield. Your _Chameleons_ are equipped with an automatic ejection seat, so do not hesitate to use your guns. The 8th Fusiliers are here to see your performance, so give it all you got. Good luck to you all."

Rocher turned sideways to see a big _Marauder_ bearing the 8th Fusiliers insignia standing just behind the red flag. He had every reason to be nervous because he knew the seniors would use this opportunity to hurt him. The physical presence of the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers in the battlefield not only ensured his capability to be duly noted, but also his safety from any foul play the seniors might have planned for him. There was a little bit of assurance in the big _Marauder_, and Rocher was glad to have that.

As soon as the horn blared, Rocher hailed his lance mates. "Guys, listen, I know that the other team will gang up on me. We can use it to win. I'll draw their fire. You guys go and get their flag. But don't take it too long. I don't want to get burnt."

"Just shut up and fight, freshman!" one of them snapped without any hint of complying.

So much for strategy. The seniors, though had more experience than him, could only think of one thing to do with a battlemech: shoot anything moving. It was easy for Rocher to make himself look superior to them. But he remembered his interview the day before: the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers were not looking for heroic stunts. They were looking for dependability.

So Rocher put all his power on the _Chameleon's_ myomer, quickly eating up the gap between the two teams. Two _Chameleon_ heat signatures popped up in his radar, moving fast in his direction. As soon as they fell into 600 meters, Rocher fired his large laser. It missed by a wide margin, but he wasn't trying to hit them. He was sending a message, letting them know that he was there. He zigzagged erratically, shooting wildly, then took a hard right turn. Surely enough the two Blue team _Chameleons_ followed him.

Rocher let the seniors chase him while driving them away from his lance mates. Emerald beams started to pepper his back; one flew miserably above his head, but the other stabbed his rear torso. His console screamed in protest. Rocher fired his jets, sending his mech flying over a small hill, putting a barricade between him and the chasing seniors, but making sure he was not too far ahead of them.

The closest seniors made the same maneuver, jumping over the hill, and fired his lasers. One strand blasted Rocher's shoulder. The acrid smoke of scorching armor made him tight. Rocher turned and faced his attacker, firing his medium and small lasers in unison. Half of them connected to the hip, and the _Chameleon_ swayed, coping with the sudden loss of mass. Rocher waited until the _Chameleon_ regained balance, then fired his large laser. The _Chameleon's_ center torso turned into bubbling goo.

The other _Chameleon_ cleared the hill and launched an alpha strike. Multiple laser beams grilled his mech from the right side. Rocher moaned in panic. His mech, already puffing out smoke and steam, lurched to the left, but he yanked his joystick hard. The computer quickly adjusted the weight balance, but the feedback signal to his neurohelmet made him want to throw up.

"Now you know the real meaning of pain, freshman!" one of the seniors crackled in general frequency. "After this, nothing will be left of you."

"You have to finish me first, and I'm not done," Rocher played along, keeping the seniors busy. He didn't know how the fight went on the other side of the training ground, but if he could lock these two seniors, his lance mates would outnumber the other team. He just had to live long enough so his team mates could do the job. "Is that all you got? After 4 years? There's no way the Fusiliers will take dickless seniors like you!"

That last comment turned the seniors berserk. They poured their firepower on Rocher's mech. The ferocity of lasers and machine gun rounds tore into the _Chameleon's_ thin armor and ripped the internal structure apart. Rocher crossed his arms in front of his face when his HUD burst, sending sparks and gauge splinters all over the cockpit. His _Chameleon_ careened in a thick cloud of smoke, but kept standing at the mercy of the neurohelmet signals.

But firing alpha strike in rapid successions turned the senior's _Chameleons_ into sluggish, scorching towers. Rocher had one chance to hurt them and he used it well. He linked all his remaining lasers and shredded the closest _Chameleon_. Globules of molten armor sprayed as the laser-laden right arm sprawled in the air. The _Chameleon_ staggered hard before crashing onto the ground in geysers of smoke and titanium bits.

That last salvo pushed Rocher's heat tracker over the shut down level, just as the other _Chameleon_ finished its recharging cycle. A powerful jerk threw him out of the canopy, moments before a laser salvo turned his _Chameleon_ into charred metal heap. The jets on his ejection seat guided him back to the ground safely.

And then, a powerful horn blasted. "Red team wins. Everybody stop shooting."

Rocher didn't know exactly what happened, but if everything worked the way he thought, then his three lance mates overwhelmed the other two Blue team members and took control of the blue flag. It was a textbook "Queen Gambit" play. The remaining Blue team _Chameleons_ looked at each other hopelessly, then started the long and agonizing walk back to the hangar, knowing that they just blew their chances to join the Fusiliers.

For Rocher, it was not a guarantee he would be accepted since he lost his mech. But unlike the seniors, he had nothing to lose. He was just a freshman. He had three years ahead of him. He showed the Fusiliers agents that he knew more than just shooting forward. He did everything he could to get recognized.

The rest was just luck.

* * *

_**The Warrior's Hall,  
**__**Saso, New Syrtis,  
**__**Capellan March, Federated Suns,  
**__**March 15, 3076**_

The recruiting session went for several days until all the seniors had a chance to prove themselves. Then the recruiters called them one by one for the decision. As expected, only a handful of the seniors were picked. The rejects had to start looking for second-rated units like armors, sapper teams, or even logistics. It was hurt since they spent 4 years training as mechwarriors and had to spend the rest of their lives doing something else. But the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers only wanted the best of the class.

Rocher was called last, and Captain Gray was there with the Fusiliers officials. They reviewed his battleROM from the trial last week, then asked him to stand before them.

"Your skill is above average, Son, but your attitude is destructive," one of the officials said. "You drove your mech in erratic manner, resulting in the loss of your _Chameleon_. Your piloting style is dangerous not only to you, but also to your lance mates."

"Permission to speak, Sir," Rocher encouraged himself to interrupt them. "My lance mates were never in danger. I knew the Blue team would take the extra mile to see me not make it alive. I had zero chance to survive that trial, so I lured as many of them as possible. My lance mates would have to fight only inferior opposition."

"What is this? You brought your personal problem to the trial?" another official spat.

"It's military intelligence, Sir. Knowing your enemy is winning half of the battle."

"But you still lost, Cadet, and you take millions of c-bills of military equipment with you," the oldest official broke his silence. "How do you justify that?"

"My team won, Sir, and that's what matters," Rocher replied. "As far as I know, all my lance mates survived, destroyed 2 _Chameleons_ from the opposing team, and captured the blue flag. It was a decisive victory for the Red team, Sir."

"It is easy to speak about sacrifice when you don't sacrifice anything," another one spoke. "Do you think you can make that sacrifice in real life? Would you sacrifice yourself for the lives of others, and for the glory of the Federated Suns? Would you put the completion of your mission above your own life?"

"Careful there, Cadet," suddenly Captain Gray warned him. "A lot is at stake on that question."

Rocher understood what Captain Gray was implying. He took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully, then answered with confidence, "As long as I can take many Capellans with me, Sir."

The officials and Captain Gray looked at each other, trading nods of satisfaction, then the oldest one stood up and offered a handshake. "Congratulations, Son. Welcome to the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers."

Rocher felt as if an anvil had been lifted up from his chest. He warmly took the officials hand, shaking it vigorously. He took time shaking hands with the rest of the officials, then beaming from ear to ear, he said, "Thank you, Sir. It means a lot to me. When is my first assignment?"

"Not yet!" suddenly Captain Gray roared. "You still have 8 weeks to complete your freshman year. Until then, your ass is still mine. I can still fail you, and you can kiss all this arrangement with the Fusiliers goodbye. But when you finish, I'll deliver your assignment myself."

Rocher was taken aback by Gray's comment, but only for a second. Eight weeks were nothing compared to months of staying in the library and simulators. He would finish his freshman year before he knew it.

"You can count on me on that, Sir," Rocher snapped a salute, still grinning.

"As you are," Captain Gray returned the salute, and for the first time since Rocher enrolled in the Warrior's Hall, he smiled. "Dismiss, Cadet. Enjoy the fruit of your hard work."

There was nothing else Rocher wanted more.

**THE END**

**FOR NOW**


	30. Chapter 30

**Doomed to Excel **

_**San Alamento, Capolla,  
**__**Terracap Confederation, Chaos March,  
**__**August 3, 3060**_

Cut off.

Cold.

Tired.

Scared.

But duty trumped fear. Through the burning debris of San Alamento, Sergeant Reyes engaged the active radar on her KW1-LH2 _Lineholder_, sweeping the area, watching for the elusive Zhanzheng de Guang heavy mech that had been terrorizing the city. She realized that she just gave up her position, as the active radar was a double-edged sword. And she understood that her _Lineholder_ might give up as much as 20 tons to the terrorist. This was most certainly a battle she could not win, but she had to do it. Somebody had to stop that Zhanzheng de Guang mech, and she was the only one close enough – or crazy enough – to do it.

"Where are you, you sonofabitch?" she muttered to herself, observing dozens of hot spots that suddenly clouded her HUD when she flicked that active radar toggle. The red blotches were buildings on fire, covering almost half of her screen. In between lied multiple heat signatures that her computer recognized as tanks, trucks, panzers, and other vehicles she wasn't interested in. Three red marks on the corner came up as artillery units, and whether it belonged to anti-Liao rebels or Zhanzheng de Guang, she could care less.

Then one red dot shone the brightest, hugging the upper edge of her HUD, flickering like a small star. There was no doubt what it was. It was the heat signature of a fusion reactor. It was a battlemech.

"Come to me, you terrorist asshole!" Reyes slammed her feet onto the pedals. Her _Lineholder_ picked up speed in a quick succession. She made a tight turn around a flaming building, taking advantage of the heat from the fire, and dashed straight toward the big bright blotch on her radar, linking all medium lasers on her mech with her secondary trigger. The first hit would be the most critical one, and Reyes didn't want to miss it…

* * *

_Ping!_

Sergeant Lundt observed his radar, looking for the anti-Liao lowlife who dared to hit him with active radar. And sure enough, the beacon backfired. There it was, a meager _Lineholder_, trying to flank him from the left, thinking that its 55-ton war machine could actually put a dent on his 70-ton THR-1L _Thunder_. Desperation or fear might set it into berserk mode.

And there was no doubt the _Lineholder_ was getting desperate. It was a member of a Deliah's Gauntlet lance who came to San Alamento haughtily – but naively – thinking that it could wipe out the Zhanzheng de Guang cell. Lundt made sure all available Zhanzheng de Guang operatives were on to the Gauntlet's lance, picking it apart layer by layer, limb by limb, until none of them were left standing. But the Gauntlet's lance fought fiercely, and the battle claimed almost all lives. In the end, the only ones left standing were the _Lineholder_ and his own _Thunder_.

As he readied his weapons, Lundt weighed on two options. He could hold his ground and wait for the Gauntlet rat to come, then waste it with his massive autocannon. Or, he could play cat and mouse, sneaking behind buildings and take pot shots. It didn't take him long to settle on the first option. His _Thunder_ outweighed the Gauntlet's _Lineholder_ by 15 full tons, and nothing on the medium mech could match his hard-hitting AC20. One hit was all he needed to hurt the _Lineholder_.

"Let's dance, mercenary rat!" Lundt grimaced as his thumb grazed the main trigger on his joystick.

* * *

Long-ranged missiles screeched between walls when Reyes hit her trigger at the first unobstructed line of fire she could find. It was a rushed shot, without a lock, negating the biggest advantage of using listen-kill missiles in the first place. But that shot was never meant to hurt. It was just a psychological warfare; she drew first blood, not the _Thunder_. She wasn't afraid of the Zhanzheng de Guang despite giving up 15 tons. She didn't hesitate to take the war to its doorstep.

Two missiles sneaked past the building and hammered the _Thunder_'s torso. As she expected, the Liao partisan trailed her, but was unable to return fire. It was big and broad; Reyes' _Lineholder_ was significantly smaller and slimmer, making shooting between building – and scoring hits – much more difficult for the Liao. A small smile escaped her lips as she fired a couple of medium lasers in between buildings. Molten metal dripped to the ground, creating steaming divots on the plaster.

Once again the _Thunder_ tried to retaliate, but Reyes brought her mech to safety, putting several buildings between her and the _Thunder_. Her remaining laser cannons blazed and peppered the _Thunder_'s front armor. A surge of waste heat burst into the cockpit, and although it seemed that she had forced the _Thunder_ to fight on its heels, it was not wise to press her advantage while inching toward overheating. She chose to withdraw, reposition and recalculate her attack while cooling off.

* * *

The initial attack had stripped the _Thunder_ off 2 tons of front armor, and it made Lundt mad. His triple medium pulse cannons flashed like machine guns. Strands of laser lit up the vicinity, but none made contact with the _Lineholder_. The sneaky medium mech was adept at using barriers.

So Lundt sprung forward, charging the 55-tonner, challenging it to a close-quarter fight. The _Lineholder_ denied his challenge and opted to snake behind buildings, waiting for open opportunities to take pot shots. Lundt kept his charge patiently, firing his pulse lasers to distract the _Lineholder_. It became tedious quickly, but Lundt knew the _Lineholder_ was the same way. Sooner or later it would make a mistake.

And the moment came sooner than he expected. The _Lineholder_ came to an alley that was too narrow to pass, so it turned back. Lundt slammed his pedals home, bringing the _Thunder_ power up into the open, catching the smaller _Lineholder_ on its back. His ears went deaf when the mighty AC20 blasted, and his spine rattled when the vibration from the gun overtook the entire cockpit, harder than anything his mech had to endure.

* * *

Although only half of the AC20 munitions hit the _Lineholder_, it managed to shred precious armor at the rear. The impact sent the 55-ton mech lurching forward, and Reyes yelped as the command couch smashed the back of her head. The feedback signal from the neurohelmet added the vertigo and for a moment the _Lineholder_ galloped like a zombie.

Laser strands from the _Thunder_ showered the _Lineholder_ from behind but Reyes quickly woke up and yanked her joystick hard to the right. Her mech veered, missing a tall office building by a mere centimenter, and took momentary refuge behind it. Missiles from the _Thunder_ hammered the building, creating a cloud of dust and smoke, but Reyes knew she was safe behind it... for now.

The _Thunder_ pressed its momentum. It made a loop around the office building, trying to catch Reyes from the other side. Reyes met it halfway; her mech, fully balanced, burst into the open, taking the _Thunder_ by surprise. All medium lasers flashed, flogging the _Thunder's_ armor with burning-hot whip. Globules of molten metal sprayed into the open as the torso armor glowed in red. Coping with the loss of mass, the _Thunder_ stepped back, allowing Reyes to slide behind another building.

* * *

Lundt channeled his frustration with another burst of medium pulse lasers. Most of his strands only carved pock marks on the concrete wall, and those which hit only melted armor. He couldn't follow up his big autocannon punch for a knock out, and the longer he fought hide and seek, the more he put himself in a vulnerable position. Sweat streamed down his cheek, and his mech quickly lost room to move due to the waste heat. He had to find a way to end this fight fast.

Taking a quick lock, Lundt fired his missiles at the building where the _Lineholder_ hid. Five missiles exploded upon impact, sending tremor to a wide area. The building creeked and swayed, and it forced the _Lineholder_ to move out lest it crumbled. Lundt prepared his AC20 as the _Lineholder_ made a quick dash to the opposite side, spraying lasers and missiles as it pounced.

Lundt weathered the missile and laser attack, then hit his primary trigger. His big gun roared in such ferocity his teeth ground in an involuntary clatter. But the submunitions swept the feet of the _Lineholder_ off the ground. The 55-ton mech tumbled to the side and crashed sideways, crushing its left arm with the large laser in it…

* * *

Reyes grimaced, writhing in a disadvantageous position, cursing and screaming. She was lucky that shot didn't breach her legs, but her large laser was out of commission. When her best weapon was taken out with a leg shot, she knew she was living a bad omen. Now she had to fight the Liao terrorist with half the firepower she had originally, a feat she wasn't even sure how to pull off.

The _Thunder_ marched in for the kill, and Reyes didn't have any other choice. She had to override the shut down sequence and alpha-strike the Zhanzheng de Guang mech to slow its advance. It could be her last act of defiance, and in the end it might not change anything. Her life would be wasted, and Zhanzheng de Guang still reigned over San Alamento. But what else would matter if not her legacy? _What you do in life echoes in eternity_.

So Reyes took a quick, hard lock on the coming _Thunder_, waiting for the missile lock, then unleashed everything she had left. The lasers drilled the large blotch underneath the _Thunder's_ launcher, already damaged from Reyes' strafing earlier, and the missiles ripped everything else under that overheated metal skin. And it just meant to be that her lucky shot torched the pile of missiles being loaded into the tubes…

* * *

The explosions threw Lundt back on his chair, slamming against the cockpit wall as his 70-ton monster twisted left and right. Showers of sparks and burnt electronics burst from the ceiling. Traditionally ammo explosion resulted in instant death, but he was lucky the CASE system redirected the explosion away from the engine. But he lost his left-torso medium pulse, his LRM5, and all ammunition for his AC20. He had only one more shot of that monster gun. After that, he had to rely on his medium pulse lasers to kill the _Lineholder_.

So Lundt determined to make his last autocannon shot count. He steadied his legs, taking a good aim at the _Lineholder_ – staggering to stand on its feet – and let his monstrous cannon loose for the last time. The submunitions slammed home at the _Lineholder's_ right torso, ripping the right arm off its socket and threw it into the air in reckless abandonment. The momentum pushed the _Lineholder_ to the side, tipping the barely-standing mech on its left leg, then rammed it into the building behind it. The 55-ton mech disappeared into a cloud of debris, and a victorious smile blossomed in Lundt's face.

Slowly he marched forward, lasers aiming at the center of the cloud, and waited for the cloud to clear up. The _Lineholder_ was still alive in his HUD despite that spectacular crash onto the building. But it didn't matter. The HUD only captured the heat signature of the mech. If the pilot was dead, the fight was over. And that was what he expected to see when the cloud cleared out. He stopped at 200 meters from the wreck… and swallowed hard as the image of the _Lineholder_ getting up from the pile of concrete greeted him.

* * *

Reyes always knew that the _Thunder_ would take the killing shot right then and there. She was wobbly on her feet, and her large laser had been disabled. Nothing in her arsenal could stop that AC20, not her speed, not her agility, not her armor. So she twisted right as far as she could and used her left arm – the host of her disabled large laser – as a shield. Her ingenuity paid off; the arm absorbed much of the AC20 killing power, and although her mech had to endure a massive crash, it was still 60-percent combat-ready with 4 medium lasers and 2 LRM5's.

The _Thunder_, on the other hand, had only 2 medium pulse lasers to throw at him.

Fueled by her newfound confidence, Reyes brought her mech up. The _Thunder_ showered her with laser strands, but she could care less. She found a target, a crack on the _Thunder's_ front armor, and cored it with her lasers. Steam hissed as the armor melted, revealing titanium beams with power conduits behind them. Reyes fired her missiles as dumbfires (which was the only thing she could do at 200 meters), but it was enough. The explosions shredded the conduits like paper-made prongs, and the heavy mech staggered, fighting for balance when half of its myomer bundles suddenly cease to function…

* * *

Lundt realized the battle was lost. San Alamento belonged to Deliah's Gauntlet and the anti-Liao movement from this point on, until Zhanzheng de Guang managed to beat back the invaders. But he doubted it would ever happen. Zhanzheng de Guang was a terrorist group. They excelled in mayhem, carnage, disorder, massacre, and spreading fear to civilians. Pitched combats belonged to a real combat unit, something like the Deliah's Gauntlet. That was why he failed. That was why he couldn't kill a cut-off, battle-weary mech 15 tons lighter than himself. That was why the Zhanzheng de Guang couldn't hold San Alamento from a single lance of medium battlemechs.

When the _Lineholder_ fired its killing blow, Lundt looked straight into the white light…


End file.
